


Using the Link

by Ralina



Series: The open link [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hermione Granger & Severus Snape Friendship, Multi, Open Link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:48:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 58,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24570334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ralina/pseuds/Ralina
Summary: Hermione finally escaped Voldemort's clutches, but at what price? And will she be able to undo her mistake and finally find happiness with the twins?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley/George Weasley
Series: The open link [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633519
Comments: 64
Kudos: 56
Collections: Pensieve





	1. Losing you

Fred arrived at Snape’s hideout, his arms heavy with the Potions Master he had grabbed before apparating away. For a moment he had considered leaving the man behind, but he owed it to him and to Hermione to at least giving him a proper burial and not having his body eaten by a gigantic snake or something equally gruesome.  
George and Hermione were already there, but the girl was as white as a ghost and as still as a stone. 

“What happened?” George shouted, speaking out what they both thought?  
“Is she dead?” 

“Is he dead?” the questions leaving their mouth at the same time.  
Fred nodded grimly, carefully letting go of Snape’s arm. His body dropped to the floor like a ragdoll, eyes still open and unseeing. “You-Know-Who hit him with a killing curse,” he said darkly, before hurrying towards his brother and the girl he loved. “And Hermione?”  
George shrugged. “She passed out shortly after we arrived here. She’s alive though, just seems to be unconscious for now.”

Fred nodded grimly. “We’ll let her rest for now. Help me to carry Snape into the room next doors. I don’t want his dead body to be the first thing she sees after waking up. Telling her he’s dead will be hard enough as it is.”

His brother nodded with a heavy sigh. “We’ll tell her together,” he said, stepping next to his former professor, before grabbing him by the ankles. “We promised each other to be there for her, I just wish he’d been there for her, too.”

Fred looked at the man’s corpse with a sigh, before lifting him by his armpits. He’d never thought it possible, that he would one day miss the grumpy man. But somehow he’d come to respect, well even like him. Not that it matters now, he thought darkly. The man had given a flying fuck about him, as long as he was alive. Being dead he probably cared even less. “I know. He could have at least understood what she’s been through. I mean, you and I will do our best, but Snape has seen it all, hasn’t he? He knows what a bastard Voldemort is.”

George sighed. “Doesn’t matter,” he said, while carefully putting Snape down on the cold floor. “You and I will have to be enough. We’ll do our best, no matter what. Snape gave his life saving her and somehow I’ve got the feeling that’s what he planned all along.”  
He looked at the man with a sad expression, before slowly kneeling down next to him and shutting his eyes. “We’ll take care of her, Sir,” he promised solemnly, looking down at the man’s cold face. It almost looked peaceful now.  
“We won’t let Hermione fall back in his hands,” Fred added seriously. “Nor in anybody else's. We might not be able to protect her as you might have, but we know a thing or two about hiding. He won’t find us, Sir, I swear it.”

Snape did not answer, even though George almost expected a disapproving remark from him. But he guessed death could even silence the most stubborn of men.

Ssssssss

Lord Voldemort did not lose any time to put the next step of his plan into motion. Now that Hermione was aware of him being the person she was linked to, she would try to get rid of the Link as soon as possible. Even with him clinging to the connection it was only a matter of time until she broke it because he had seen the horror in her eyes, as she discovered the truth. Right now being linked to him was the last thing she wanted and it would take time for her to see sense. Luckily he was a true Slytherin and had planned ahead. Brewing the potion had required a lot of his time during the last weeks, but the recipe was easy enough. He had found it in one of the books on the Open Link, that he had read in the very beginning before he had discovered the girl's identity. In the past, it had not always been an option closing a link through intercourse, as some links were forged between political allies, mentors and students and the like. In those cases, a special potion was brewed, adding a few drops of the Open Link's blood. Those had been easy to obtain during their journey through the woods. His lioness hadn’t even noticed he had been stealing them from her, assuming he was just cleaning and sealing her wound. 

The potion was his possibility to forge a permanent between the two of them. There would be no running away from him, not today and not in ten years. There would be more than enough time for her to get used to the thought, that she was his now and that they shared their magic from now on. Soon he'd start feeding her his magic in small doses, making her want more and more of it until she would not be able to resist him any longer. Given the right rituals it would be child's play finding her again as there would be no hiding from him ever again. It was their fate being connected in this most intimate way and soon he would ensure it became a physical connection.

With a little smile, he took out the small phial he'd been hiding below his robes and studied the golden liquid for a short moment. But there was no time to lose and so he quickly uncorked it and drowned the content in three quick gulps. He could feel the Link intensifying right away, strand after strand of magic forming between the two of them, knitting together to an unbreakable cord. A moment later he could feel her magic silently whisper to him, welcoming him like a long-sought out lover.  
Lord Voldemort smiled. Those idiots could have her body for now. He would take her magic instead. 

Ssssssss

They had barely put Snape’s body down when there was a bang of Apparation and a curse next door. Fred and George were instantly alert, rushing out of their room wand in hand. Only that the person arriving at their hideout was the last one they had expected to see there.

“Malfoy?” Fred asked, his voice full of confusion and distrust. “What in Merlin’s name are you doing here?”

The boy looked at them with a scowl and a cold look in his eyes. “I could ask you the same, Weasels. Where is he?”

“Where’s who?” Fred asked between clenched teeth. They had just gotten Hermione back and they would be damned to lose her to another Death Eater. The blond boy didn’t even take a look at the unconscious Hermione though and instead marched into their direction without a sign of fear. “Severus Snape, you idiots. Where’s my godfather?” 

The boys stared at him in shock for a moment, before George finally found his voice. “He’s next door but.. he’s…”

“Dead, yeah, I figured as much,” Malfoy said coldly before passing them without comment. They saw him disappear in the other room, the door behind him banging close. For a moment they considered following him, but in the end they decided against it. Snape obviously had been Malfoy’s godfather and the boy seemed to have had a good relationship with him. Better they let him mourn the man in peace because they sure as hell didn't want to see the arrogant git crying. There was only so much one could take for a day.

Ssssssss

Hermione awoke with a gasp, her body still shaking from the dream she had. She had been on the run with a man that she had regarded as her friend, only that he wasn’t her friend at all but Lord Voldemort tricking her into believing so. It had just been another mind game of his and again she had fallen for it.

“Hermione? Are you awake?” she heard a voice ask her. It was a voice she had believed to never hear again, one that she had missed desperately over the last weeks. She opened her eyes and there he was, no, both of them, staring down at her with brown, worried eyes. They looked like she remembered them, all smiles and freckles.

“Fred? George” she asked in disbelief. “Is it really you?”  
Fred looked at her with a happy smile. “Who else would it be, love?”

She looked at them for a long moment, her memory slowly returning to her. And that was when she remembered Eric and realized that it hadn’t been a dream at all. Oh no, you’re not doing this to me again, she thought scrambling backwards on her cot. “Leave me, I don’t feel like playing another one of your mind games. Didn’t you already get what you want? Now leave me alone.” Her last words were more of a shriek, but she didn’t care. That man had taken everything from her, he’d given her a glimpse of hope and freedom only to snatch it away just when she believed to have finally fled his prison.

The other men looked at her in confusion and for a moment their faces were so vulnerable, that Hermione almost believed the act. “Hermione please, it’s us… it’s really us. Just ask us something, anything and we'll prove it to you," one of them - George's copy - said. Hermione considered for a moment, but in the end, she decided against it.  
“No, I’m not playing your stupid game anymore. Never again.”

They stared at her uncertainly and for a moment it looked like they were about to turn around. But then suddenly a door was opened in the back of the room and a pale blond boy stepped into the room. The sight of him triggered something, but she didn’t have time to ponder on it, as he marched towards her with determined steps. Only when he was next to her did she realize, that it was Malfoy staring at her with a hard look in his eyes. 

“He fucked with your mind, didn’t he?” he asked, staring at her with a detached look in his eyes. Then he sighed. “Of course he did. Get up, Granger.” It wasn’t a request, it was an order. “I need you to see something.”

“No,” one of the redheads - Fred? - argued, blocking the way out of the room. “Fuck Malfoy, you see she’s not herself. You can’t just…” 

"She's not going anywhere with you," the other one said, arms crossed in front of his chest. "In the end, you're taking her back into this hell-hole, as soon as we turn our backs. Not happening, arsehole."

Hermione looked from one to the other in confusion. Whatever image Voldemort projected into her head, seemed more and more surreal. This Malfoy didn’t seem at all like the arrogant git she had met in school. Fred and George on the other hand...

“Then you’re taking her into that room,” Malfoy growled, wand suddenly in hand. “Now.”

There was a moment of hesitation, before the other boys surprisingly gave in, offering her a hand with a sigh. “You heard him, Mione," Fred said, a sad smile on his face. "There's something you need to see. I'm sorry you need to learn it that way."

Hermione didn’t know what to think, but her confusion suddenly overwrote her resistance to follow them out of the room. Whatever they wanted to show her, could be much worse, than she’d already seen and been through, right?  
She was wrong. It was worse, much worse. “Severus,” she gasped, taking in her friend’s lifeless body on the floor. His eyes had been closed, his body laid down on his back. He had always been pale, but now his skin had taken on an unhealthy, almost waxy tone, his facial features frozen into an expressionless mask. “No…” It was enough to shake her out of her stupor and she freed herself from the boy’s grip, dashing towards the man on the floor with three quick steps. She fell next to him on her knees, touching his cold face with shaky fingers. There was no doubt her friend was dead. “Severus please,” she whispered, pressing her ear to his unmoving chest. “Please don’t do this, please I just found you…” she begged, tears streaming down her face. But there was no answer. 

“He died in the hope to buy us enough time to get you out,” George’s voice said solemnly from behind. 

“As soon as You-Know-Who realized you were gone, he started throwing killing curses. Snape tried blocking it, but the spell just went through his shield,” Fred continued explaining to her. She only listened with half an ear though, as the rest of her went out to her friend. He couldn’t be gone, he mustn’t.

“Please Severus,” she murmured, clutching his face in her hands, while she pressed her forehead to his. By now her tears started dripping on his face and she half expected him to scowl at her, but he didn’t. “I need you, you know I do. Please come back to me, please,” she begged, her voice getting hoarser with every word. But there was no answer from him, his face as unmoving as it had been a minute ago. And as the knowledge grew that her friend would probably not come back to her, her heart just broke a little bit more.

Ssssssss

Lord Voldemort returned to his house in the knowledge that he soon would have his Queen back at his side. Her departure from him was only a momentary setback, that would be remedied soon. 

After having taken a long bath and had a good meal he would get ready to track her, before bringing her back to his side.  
He had just entered his rooms when he started feeling strange. It was like some sort of weakness started to get hold of him, making him feel strangely tired and drained. Was it because he hadn't eaten properly in days? Or because of the potion, he had taken? Did his body probably need some time to adjust to the Link he had just forged? It was possible…

With growingly shaky feet he started to hurry towards his bed and he made it right in time before his legs gave out. What was wrong with him, he asked himself, watching in horror as his magical energy slowly started to flow from his body. And suddenly he knew… his Queen was feeding off his energy, pulling it from his body like a thirsty woman through a straw. No matter how hard he tried holding his magic back, it slipped away from him, like water slowly dribbled through a hand. There was no holding it back… And for the first time in centuries, Lord Voldemort felt something resembling fear.

Ssssssss

“We need to do something,” George whispered to his twin through the bond. “We can’t just let her leave her here, sobbing all over a corpse.”

Fred hummed in agreeance before he carefully started to walk towards their girl, who was still kneeling next to the dead man, making distressed sounds of anguish, while cradling his lifeless chest.  
"Hermione, love," he said, but it was like she wasn't even registering his words right now. "Please come back to the other room. We won't touch you if you don't want it but please come out of here.”

Suddenly her eyes snapped open, her head turning while her hands never left Snape’s head. She looked at him and as soon as he registered the colour of her eyes, his heart skipped a beat: there was a red unnatural glimmer in them that very much reminded him of a crazy megalomaniac wizard. “No,” she said, her voice resonating with power and authority that had not been there before. And Fred couldn’t help the shiver running down his back.

Hermione ignored him though, her gleaming eyes focussing on the man next to her. And suddenly it was like he saw his chest rise and sink as he took a breath. But that was impossible, right?

“Merlin’s beard,” George whispered next to him, staring at the man’s hand that slowly started to twitch. It was only a moment, before Severus Snape drew in a long, wheezing breath, before his eyes opened staring at the girl holding his face with wide eyes. 

“Hermione,” he hoarsely whispered in relief as he gazed at her. But it was enough to shake Hermione from whatever had befallen her, her eyes returning to her normal caramel-brown colour before she threw her arms around him with a sob. 

“Severus,” she murmured, pressing her ear against his chest to reassure herself of the fact that his heart was indeed beating again. “You came back to me.” She said in a disbelieving but happy tone.

The three men in the doorway watched in astonishment as the Professor’s arms close around the girl’s small frame pressing her against him with a loving smile on his lips. “ ‘s not like you gave me any choice in that matter...” he mumbled, against her hair and even though the thought of Snape cuddling Hermione would have creeped Fred out a month ago, he could not help the happy smile breaking out on his face right now. 

Ssssssss

A.N.:


	2. By your side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, my friends. Finally, our heroes will have their long-awaited reunion. Was about time, wasn’t it? For the next chapters, the story will slow down for a bit. I want to give those guys some time to get to know each other again. I hope you don’t mind.

Chapter 63: By your side

  
  
  


They were in the middle of dinner when Harry’s vision suddenly clouded over, rage and betrayal echoing through him. The pictures he saw did not make much sense though, there was Hermione and… Snape? And they seemed closer than they should have, considering he was one of his Death Eaters and her former professor.  _ Traitor, _ echoed through his head. He’d make the man pay for touching what was his. 

_ He  _ killed him, feeling satisfaction when he saw the man being hit by his killing curse, landing face first on the cold stone floor. 

“Harry Dear? Is everything alright?” Mrs Weasley's voice pulled him out of his vision and when he looked around at the table he saw that all eyes were focussed on him. Ron, who’d witnessed his fits before, looked especially worried. He stared at his friend with wide eyes. 

“It’s Hermione, I think she might have gotten away somehow,” he said, causing instant chaos in the kitchen, as everybody started talking at the same time. That was, until Sirius loudly ordered silence, his hand noisily hitting the table surface as he did so. A moment later the room was covered in silence.

His godfather cleared his throat. “Alright, we better call Dumbledore right away. And then you’ll start telling what you’ve seen right from the beginning, alright Harry?”

Harry nodded, his heart agitatedly beating in his chest. If Hermione really had somehow gotten away, then they needed to find her and if there was one person able to do so then it was Albus Dumbledore. The man was a genius, after all. 

Ssssssss

He had been in a place between here and there, the one world no longer reachable for him, while the other one was slowly getting closer and closer. From afar he could already see Lily’s face, smiling down at him like he hadn’t seen her doing it in a long time. There was so much warmth in her gaze that his heart swelled with happiness. Soon he would see her, talk to her, even though the price was to leave another friend behind.

He had known the outcome of the battle for him as soon as he realized it was the Dark Lord they were encountering. The man would have never let him get away, after discovering his betrayal. Even if he hadn’t killed him outrightly, he would have killed him painfully through the Mark. And compared to that fate a clean death during a duel was much more preferable. 

It had been fast and painless, thank Merlin for small mercies, only leaving Hermione back  _ hurt _ . He doubted the pain he was feeling was physical, that was no longer possible for him, and still, it felt like he was ripped apart. He really hoped they would have some kind of future together - as friends, or maybe even as him being some kind of mentor to her. He would have really liked that. But that chance was gone, or so he thought.

“ _ Severus. _ ” Suddenly he heard her voice again, calling him, begging him to come back to her. And oh he wanted to, he really did, but the way back to her was closed to him. Or was it? 

It started as a small ray of light, appearing and disappearing again. It let him pause, look back in the direction he had come from. 

“ _ I need you, you know I do. Please come back to me, please. _ ” He could hear the desperation in her voice, hear the sobs wracking her body. Oh, Hermione… if it was only in his power to come back. 

Then suddenly it happened, something in him answered her calling, a small light within him tried answering her pleas. And suddenly he realized that it was the magic she had sent him before she left,  _ her magic _ , still lingering in his body - or soul? It felt like it was answering her call, resonating with her heartbeat until his own heart started imitating it again. At first, it was only a hesitant flutter, like the wings of a butterfly, but with every one of her heartbeats and whispers, it got stronger and stronger. And suddenly Severus realized that the path in front of him - the path to Lily - blurred again, only leaving the way back - to Hermione. Even if he hadn't wanted to, there was only one way for him to go now. Hermione called him and he had no choice but to answer. Severus Snape was going back, his soul singing with joy over the second chance he had been given. Hermione needed him, she wanted him back in her life, which meant Lily would have to wait. 

  
  
  


Ssssssss

  
  


“I need a Firewhiskey,” Fred said, sinking down at the wooden chair with a deep sigh. George looked at him with a nod, he pretty much wanted a Firewhiskey himself. But for that, they would have to leave their little hideout, which was absolutely not an option. 

Malfoy, who was still there, looked contemplative but his face did not give much away about his feelings on the matter. But the boy was a damned Slytherin and those were always hard to read. 

He sat on his uncomfortable chair like he was in the middle of a formal dinner or something. Probably this posture had been drilled into him for years. He didn't say a word though, just stared at the empty table with stormy grey eyes.

For a while, they sat in silence, but finally, Fred could not take it any longer and asked: "How did you know where Snape was anyway and that he was...well… dead?”

Malfoy looked up at him and for a moment he seemed to carefully consider his answer before he said: “Professor Snape is my godfather. He named me as a beneficiary in his will. Therefore I was notified of his death right away."

The twins nodded, aware that he had only answered half of their question. So he had known Snape was dead, but they were still in a warded hideout and therefore hopefully unable to be tracked. Fred sighed. They were probably lucky to have gotten something out of the boy.

George nodded, before asking: “How is it that you apparated here? You're not of age and…”

The Slytherin interrupted him with a snort. "So? Don't tell me you ever cared much about the rules? You only need to be of age for getting the official license. But with the right teacher, you can still learn it…" He grinned and the twins could not help to join in. 

“True. Pity we did not think of that,” George admitted with a crooked smile. Malfoy shrugged. “Only because I didn’t get caught that doesn’t mean I didn’t break any rules,” he said casually. The twins nodded acknowledgingly. There really wasn’t anything to say against that. 

  
  
  


Ssssssss

  
  
  
  


Hermione didn’t know for how long she rested in Severus’ arms, helplessly sobbing into his chest. It must have been for a while, because when she looked up the other boys were gone, probably intending to give them some privacy. Hermione was thankful for it. 

Severus did not move, just held her tightly to his chest without a single word leaving his lips. She understood as she was at a loss of words herself. There were no words for what they had just experienced.

But after a while, she could feel his arms start to shake, causing her to look at him with worried eyes.

“Are you alright? How do you feel?” she asked, slowly letting go of him and studying his face with brimming eyes.

"Alive," he said dryly, a little smile ghosting his lips. "Apart from that, I feel like my back isn't made for lying on the cold floor. I'd find a sofa very much preferable."

Hermione scrambled to her feet, shyly offering him her hand to help him up. At first, he looked at it strangely, before taking it with an amused shake of his head. He pulled himself up with a grimace, swaying slightly before he made the first step in the direction of the door. And suddenly Hermione did not feel like leaving the room at all. Merlin, she'd been totally out of it after she woke up and she still felt an uneasy flutter knowing that the twins probably waited in the other room for her. So much had happened since she’d seen them at Hogwarts and Hermione didn’t know how to explain half of it or if she wanted to talk about it at all. And could she even trust them any longer? 

Severus seemed to sense her uneasiness. As soon as he reached the door he paused, studying her with an analysing gaze: “What is it?” he asked patiently. 

But that was a question not easily answered. “Nothing,” was therefore all, she replied towards him. 

His mouth twitched. "You're still awful at lying, Hermione," he said, his gaze softening somewhat. "But I'll let you get away with it for now. As it is, we don't have time for big discussions anyway. We need to leave this place as soon as possible, as it's only a matter of time before  _ he _ comes looking for you."

Hermione shivered. She would not go back to that man,  _ never again _ . Severus must have seen her reaction, as he was at her side a moment later, gently supporting her back with his arm. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him take you again. Alright? And now come, I’ll be right at your side.”

She nodded and let him slowly lead her out of the room. The boys were already waiting for them next doors, seated at a table with Draco Malfoy of all people. What was he doing here anyway? Did he come to try taking her back?

Severus did not seem bothered by the boy’s presence though, as he just stared at the three of them with a serious expression. “We’re leaving this place,” he announced matter of factly. “If you want to come with us, you can do so. But you won’t have the chance to go back for your things or to return to your family and friends at a later point. Hermione and I are going into hiding and we will not take any unnecessary risks.”

Malfoy looked at the Professor with a calm expression, that gave nothing away, before saying: "I gave you my answer to that question weeks ago. I'm coming with you if you'll have me." His last words were not directed at Severus though, as he directly looked at Hermione while saying them. She looked back at him with wild eyes, before turning to Severus: "Do you trust him?" she asked, her voice calm, even though she was feeling anything but. Her friend looked at her with a reassuring smile. "I've known Draco for a very long time. Apart from that, I do have an Unbreakable Vow from him. He will not betray us."

She could feel that there was a story behind his words, a story she'd love to hear one day. But for now, his answer was enough. "Alright," she said, nodding towards Malfoy. “You can come with us, then. We’ve never been friends, but those are special times. Right now I can use any ally I can get and I do have the feeling that we’re both not the same people we were a year ago.”

The boy nodded. “I can tell you’ve changed Granger and so have I.”

Snape watched their conversation with an unreadable expression, turning towards the twins as soon as it was over. “What about you? Can you leave your family behind, without having the chance to say goodbye or tell them where you’re going?”

Fred and George looked at each other for a second, trading a meaningful gaze before they focussed her eyes on Hermione. “We’re not losing you again,” they told her, their eyes full of raw feelings. “We’re coming with you, no matter what.”

They were leaving their family for her, Hermione realized, suddenly feeling queasy. But she didn’t have time to find the rights words to say to them.

„Well, that is that then,“ Snape said, looking at the assembled group with a nod. “I and Hermione will go first. Draco, you’ll take the Weasleys along.”

Fred and George looked at Severus with wide eyes. “You want him to take us along on an apparition? Does he even know where we’re going?”

At that, Malfoy looked at the two of them with a smile. “For a fact, I do.”

Professor Snape nodded. “As I am probably still counting as deceased, he might even be the owner of the house by now. I guess Gringott’s will contact you in case the ownership goes back to me.”

Draco waved him off. “The house is yours, no matter what’s in the papers. We can discuss the details later.”

He offered the twins his hands and there was no trace of mocking or arrogance in his face.  _ He really has changed _ , Hermione thought, taking Severus' arm. In a blink of an eye, they were gone.

Ssssssss

  
  


When Lord Voldemort regained consciousness he was lying face down on his bed. He was feeling drawn and tired, which had not happened since he regained a body through the ritual last year. How long had he been out? Minutes? Hours?  _ Days _ ? He could not say. But he realized that he would have to find a way to prevent such an event from happening again. He had no problems letting his Queen drink off his energy, as long as it was on his terms. What he could not allow was letting him seem weak or even vulnerable in front of his Death Eaters, or worse, his enemies. 

He needed the girl back at his side, back under control, as soon as possible. Now that she had tasted his magic, she might have gotten an appetite for him and he was willing to indulge it if she agreed to reciprocate. Still, she would need to control her appetite, at least until this war was won. Afterwards, they could tire each other out, physically as well as magically.

He cleaned himself with calculated efficiency and fed his body without tasting much of the food the house-elves provided for him. Afterwards, he didn't waste any time and summoned his Death Eaters, all of them. He would have to inform them that Severus, the traitor, was no longer alive. A raid on the wizarding world was in Order. His queen needed to be found - soon - and he would leave no stone unturned until she was finally back at his side, where she belonged. 

  
  
  
  


Ssssssss

  
  


“Where are we?” Fred asked, looking around the room in wonder. This place looked different than the dark, cave-like room that had been their first headquarters. It looked almost  _ normal _ . 

They were in some sort of living room, two large sofas gracing one of the walls, opposite of the large windows giving them a view over what looked like Muggle London. 

"In one of the flats, I recently bought for the purpose of not being found. It's in a Muggle neighbourhood, which will hopefully be the last place they’re looking for us,” Snape explained, dropping heavily to one of the sofas. George saw him pulling a potion from the insides of his robe and suddenly he realized how tired the man actually looked like. That he had even been able to apparate himself and another person was a small miracle itself. 

“The flat is well warded, don’t worry,” Malfoy continued for him, totally unfazed by the fact that there was a television and other unknown technical equipment around. The twins had seen such stuff before at Hermione’s home, but they doubted Malfoy had. Still, the boy did not mind it in the least. “Professor Snape has been very thorough.”

“Severus,” Snape corrected him from the sofa. “I think we’re long past formalities. You’ve all seen me dead on the floor, after all.”

The man wasn’t one for sugarcoating, was he? Hermione immediately stiffened at his words but did not say anything. Instead, she walked to the other sofa and silently sat down at one end of it. George saw her bottom lip disappear between her teeth, clearly showing her nervousness. Still, he could not help but smile at the familiarity of the picture… It was a miracle that they finally had her back, even though it was obvious, that their girl had been through a lot. But they would put her back together, he, Fred and Snape. They were all at her side now, ready to support her.

“Severus then,” George said with an accepting nod, smiling at the man. “So what do we do next?”

“Pick a room and get some rest,” the man replied, his voice tired. “The two of you will have to share, though. As soon as we’re all feeling up to it, we’ll start putting all the facts together and make plans. But that probably won’t happen before tomorrow or the day after. At least some of us will need time to recover.”

Somehow George got the impression he didn’t mean himself with that, even though the man looked like shit. But compared to an hour ago…

Malfoy nodded and without any other word left the room, his hands buried in the pockets of his robe. Hermione was next getting up from the sofa. For a moment it looked like she wanted to say something, as her mouth slightly opened and her eyes slowly ghosted over him and Fred. But then she shook her head and silently walked out of the room. George sighed.

“She’s not the same girl you knew from school,” Severus warned them, as soon as the girl closed the door behind her. His dark eyes were on them and it was obvious that he had carefully studied their and Hermione’s lack of interaction.

George looked at him with a serious expression. “I know,” he said, rubbing his neck, while he tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. He wasn’t really sure if it worked. “It doesn’t matter though. We still love her,” he exclaimed with conviction and Fred who stood next to him nodded.

Snape looked back at them with a tired smile. “And what if she no longer loves you back? She might still love you, but she might as well not. Will you regret having left your family behind, if she keeps pushing you away?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Fred replied next to him in a serious voice. “She’s still the one for us. Even if she no longer wants us back, we’ll support her...  _ as friends _ .”

The man nodded. “Good. And now out with you,” he said, but somehow the usual bite was absent from his voice. It almost sounded teasing, like the grumpy Professor approved of them.

  
  


  
  



	3. Uncomfortable truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my friends. Currently, I am stuck with this story. But as I wanted to do something for this story tonight, I decided to proof-read another chapter for you. If everything goes as planned, there will be another update tomorrow. But that will be everything for this week, as I will be travelling afterwards. So I will probably not be able to update until Sunday evening after tomorrow, which is why I am posting this early.   
> Thank you for every comment you are leaving for me. I am also happy if you take the time to point out some language-mistakes I made. As a non-native speaker, some of the phrases are really tricky for me. I hope you don’t mind.

Albus followed the boy's tale with growing worry. Usually, the Chosen One's visions were quite reliable and as much as it pained him to admit it, Severus had shaken off his control some time ago. He had been aware of the man's wish to rescue the girl, even if his motives were still a mystery to him. It was hard to believe his spy suddenly established something like affection for his student. Still, if there was someone capable of finding the girl it was Severus Snape. As a Death Eater, he must at least have had some access to her and he'd probably used it to construct a plan - a plan which got him killed if the boy was to be believed. But if the Open Link still escaped Tom's clutches, then his spy's death had been for the greater good.  
“I can’t believe she finally got away from You-Know-Who,” young Mr Weasley said, sounding relieved. He might have even been a good candidate for the establishment of a link to the girl - he was easy enough to manipulate after all - but unfortunately, the magical energy would have been wasted on him. He did not have more talent than an average Hufflepuff. The Chosen One might have been another possible candidate, but with the unfortunate fate of being a Horcrux himself, that was out of the question. Amongst the students her age, there really was no suitable partner for her. The Weasley twins had unfortunately been a disappointment, too. Untypically for Weasleys, they have shown their unreliability often enough. The best decision would probably be to convince the girl to connect herself to him. They could always use the Ultima Merger potion to close the link, leaving the girl free to romance whomever she wanted afterwards. Yes, that probably would be the best solution for everybody.   
As soon as the Order meeting was over, he hurried towards his office. Maybe Fawkes would be able to reach the girl now and escort her to Hogwarts. She’d surely be impressed that he sent his phoenix after her. He’d offer her to stay at Hogwarts during the summer. There she’d be able to use the library and he’d also offer to tutor her from time to time. This way he’d be able to learn a bit more about the girl and find out how to best manipulate her. 

Ssssssss

Hermione quickly picked a room for herself, but instead of staying there, she continued looking through the flat in the hope to find the kitchen. It was easy enough to find and to her relief, it was well stocked with everything she could have wished for. It was a long time ago that she had to prepare a meal for herself, as Hogwarts and Voldemort had a bunch of house-elves doing that for her. She hadn't really minded being served her foot by the little servants after a while but she was glad that she could finally cook for herself today. It probably would take her mind off... things, at least for a while. She wasn't going for anything complicated today. Her hunger was too great for having to wait for her food for too long, therefore pasta would have to do. As the kitchen was well equipped with a modern stove and everything else she could wish for, there was no need for her to use her wand, which was a good thing as she still was magically exhausted. She felt like she would knock out as soon as she had ingested some food and sleep for days afterwards. But the others would want to talk to her, they would want to know what happened and there was no quick or easy answer for that. How could she tell them that she had linked herself to Voldemort? What would they think of her? She did not know whose reaction she feared the most. The twins would probably be shocked or disappointed, probably both. Severus on the other hand… would he say “I told you so?” Or would he regard her as a waste of his time, maybe even regret having risked his life for her in the first place? He had tried to teach her how to be clever, how to think, after all, but as it appeared she was a hopeless course. Brightest witch of her age, indeed. Whoever said that about her had mistaken bookishness and diligence for intellect.   
And Malfoy? Would he taunt her because of it? A year ago she would have been sure of it, now… not so much. The boy definitely had changed, she was almost sure that he had already behaved differently when she was still at Hogwarts. Therefore it was difficult for her to predict what he would do, but out of all the flat's inhabitants, she probably feared his reaction the least. And what did that say about her?   
“Hmmm, do I smell pasta?” George’s voice said appreciatively from the door and when she looked into his direction, she saw him casually lean against the doorframe, a happy smile playing on his lips.   
She nodded with a shy smile. “I made enough for all of us, in case you’re hungry,” she said, stirring the pasta with a wooden spoon.   
He followed the movement with his eyes, before strolling into the room. “Are you kidding me? ‘Course I want some, I’m a Weasley and those are always hungry.”  
Hermione nodded with a smile. "I thought that was just Ron being… Ron," she admitted, looking at the boy who was now suddenly standing next to her. But there was still an arm's length of distance between them and Hermione was thankful for it.  
George snorted. “No, I think being always hungry is pretty much a family trait, like the freckles and the red hair, you know?”  
She looked at him in disbelief. “You really think so? It could as well be the constant Quidditch practise, that’s making you all good eaters.” At that, George’s eyes started to sparkle.   
“It’s possible,” he said with a nonchalant shrug. “But I don’t really care why I’m hungry. Fact is, that I’d really like to eat with you. Do you mind?” He looked at her with those soft, brown eyes. There was a vulnerability shining in them, that she had not seen there before. Those last weeks probably hadn’t been easy on them, as well.  
“No, of course not,” she said, feeling embarrassed that the redhead even felt the need to ask. True, she’d rather avoided him for now, but considering he and Fred had risked their lives to get her out that wasn’t really fair on them. “I’m sorry for giving you the wrong impression earlier.”  
“Don’t be,” he said, laying out the dishes on the table. “The guy tricked you into thinking he was someone else, someone you trusted, didn’t he? It was only natural to assume that he’d try again…”  
Hermione nodded contemplatively. “I guess so.”  
They sat down at the table in silence, George taking the seat opposite of her and for a while, they just enjoyed their meal. It wasn't anything special but after days of almost eating anything, it tasted glorious to her. But as her stomach slowly started to fill, Hermione realized that her friend watched her with worried brown eyes. She looked up and their eyes met.  
"You know that Fred and I are here for you, no matter what, right?" he asked, looking at her with a serious expression. Suddenly all humour and light-heartedness were gone.  
She started at him silently for a long moment, before she replied with a slow nod. “I know.”  
“Good. Don’t worry, we’re not pressuring you to tell us anything. If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine. But if you do, we’ll listen… and supply you with as many Weasley-cuddles as you need." The latter was said with a bit of humour in his voice, even though Hermione could tell that the offer was meant seriously. But would he have made it, if he had known that she was lying in another man's arms just a day before? Thinking about it alone made her feel somewhat...dirty. Apart from that, she did not know how she thought about being hugged or even touched by anybody who wasn't Severus right now. Severus she could trust, he was her Link, well one of her Links. But could she really trust them? Or were they too, trying to play her?  
“I… I’ll think about it, alright?” she said looking at him hesitantly. He stared at her with understanding, brown eyes and if he was disappointed by her answer, he was not showing it. “But I think I’ll need some time to adjust, to realize that I am finally safe and that I can trust you…”  
George nodded. “Take all the time you need. Fred and I aren’t going anywhere, alright?”  
"Alright," Hermione said, unable to mask the relief in her voice. He wasn't pressuring her for anything, good. Because that would have been more than she could take right now.

Sssssssss

When Severus was finally able to get up from the sofa, the flat had fallen quite. Someone had cooked dinner and left it waiting in the fridge for him and even if it wasn't Hogwarts cuisine he ate it gratefully. Afterwards, he made his way to his room. He had warded it carefully as it held all his possessions so that none of the others had been able to enter it. Even if this flat would only house them temporarily, he had taken his brewing equipment along and today he was glad for it. He still felt like shit and even though probably only time and sleep would make that go away, he would be damned if he didn't at least try to brew something against this spitting headache. And a Dreamless Sleep potion probably wouldn't go amiss as well. 

In the morning he already felt better, the headache was gone and the stiffness finally seemed to leave his limbs. Still, he was looking forward to a strong cup of coffee, before tackling the problems ahead of them. By now at least the Dark Lord would be out to find them and even though he would never find them here, the man would get more and more desperate as time went by. And that would not mean anything good for the rest of Britain, muggles included.   
The Weasleys lounged in the living room, discussing something in hushed tones. Draco was in the kitchen, staring at the microwave and the toaster like it had personally offended him. The poor boy had probably tried making breakfast for the last half an hour or so.   
“Coffee?” Severus asked while strolling to the fridge. He'd just make breakfast for the lot of them, he doubted those Weasleys knew how to use a muggle kitchen. He'd have to teach them sooner or later or ask Hermione to do it for the twins, as he didn't fancy playing horse-elf for the unforeseeable future.   
Draco nodded. “Yeah, thank you. I feel like I’ll need at least two cups until I can think straight again.”  
The former professor snorted. I knew that feeling pretty well. He’d been the same as a teenager, as he’d rather spent his nighttime reading than wasting it on sleep. It wasn’t long until the Weasley’s joined them in the kitchen, looking towards the table in hungry anticipation. Luckily the eggs and the ham were almost finished.   
“Mind if we join you?” George asked, already setting the table for five. Hermione did not show up though and they were halfway into their breakfast until the other twin said: “Hermione’s warded her room.” Severus could tell that he wanted to say more, as there was probably a whole story behind those words.   
He sighed. “Of course she has. She has lived in the same house as Voldemort and his Snake for several weeks. Draco here can tell you how much fun that is. We can not blame her for not feeling safe after that particular experience.”  
His godson nodded darkly. “The man’s a psychopath and that snake is bloody scary, even for a Slytherin. I would have warded my door too if that hadn't raised questions I was not ready to answer back then."  
Severus nodded, casually adding: “Apart from that she is the Open Link. She has spent the last weeks with a man eager to forge a bond with her, obsessing more and more over the question how to finally make her his. I would not be surprised, if she expects that sort of behaviour from other people now, too. And I think I am not wrong if I say that at least two people in the room do have that intention.”  
The twins stared at him defensively. “This is not about forging a link with her,” Fred protested, sounding offended and Severus saw Draco rolling his eyes at the boy.  
“Maybe not,” he said with a knowing smile on his lips. “But that’s still how a link is created.”   
For a moment Severus expected a row to break out, but to his big surprise, the twins sighed, rubbing their foreheads tiredly. "Yeah, we know. It's making this whole thing even more complicated," George admitted tiredly. He agreed. It was a good thing he was past the phase in his life, where he thought about romancing somebody because that whole experience had been a total disaster.

Ssssssss

Hermione stayed in her room as long as possible, as she did not feel like she could face the discussion which had to take place sooner or later. She knew that she didn’t have endless time to stall, spilling the miserable truth, but every time she thought about leaving her room she was near panicking. But as it was nearing noon, she could no longer put her bodily urges off and so she finally left the room with a heavily beating heart. Luckily the kitchen was empty when she entered it, causing her to sigh in relief before making herself a strong cup of tea and some toast.   
“You’ll have to tell them eventually,” a voice suddenly said behind her, making her hastily turn around in surprise. And there stood Draco Malfoy, casually leaning in the doorway, staring at her with serious grey eyes. Their eyes met and Hermione could not help but stiffen, the kettle boiling behind her on the counter.   
"I don't know what you mean," she said weakly, her body ready to bolt from the room. But unfortunately, her exit was blocked. Draco seemed to read her intention, as he suddenly stepped into the room before sitting down at the table.  
"Is there enough water for two cups of tea?" he asked like they hadn't been enemies for the better part of their teenage years. But she guessed those things did not matter anymore, did they?  
“Guess so,” she said, pouring both of them a cup of tea, before hesitantly sitting down across from him at the table. The tea was still too hot to drink, so she grabbed a slice of toast to busy herself with something. But the boy seemed determined to talk to her, as the next thing he did was casting a Muffliato at the two of them. Of course, Severus had taught him the spell, too.   
“I know what you did,” the boy said calmly. “I’ve seen it in your eyes when you brought Severus back. They were red.”  
Hermione closed her eyes in dismay. What was she supposed to say to that? Malfoy did not expect an answer from her though, as he went on: “I’m not judging you. Mind, I almost connected myself to him, out of my own free will. And I doubt how that’s how it’s been for you. He tricked you, didn’t he?”  
Hermione nodded, suddenly feeling the tears rise behind her eyes. But she would not cry in front of him, she refused to let herself go that far.   
"I've been so stupid," she said, her voice full of regret. But to her surprise, the boy shook his head.  
"No, I don't think so," he said, taking a careful sip from his cup. "It could have happened to anyone. You feel ashamed of yourself, I get that. Hell, I've taunted you for years and to be honest, I'm not really comfortable talking to you, right now, knowing what I did, what I called you. But I don't let that get in the way of us talking or doing the right thing."  
“The right thing?” Hermione asked, suddenly feeling the need to look at him. “I don’t even know what that’s supposed to be right now. This whole situation is a mess.”  
He nodded. “And I guess you’ll need all your courage to get through the next few hours. Good thing you’re a Gryffindor, huh?”  
Hermione could not have agreed more. She knew what he said was right, she felt it in her bones. But that didn’t make her any less scared.


	4. Unbreakable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, as I promised I’m posting another chapter for you today. The next update might have to wait to Sunday or even Monday, as I will be travelling and might not have time to update or even write.   
> I hope you’ll all have some fantastic days and, of course, lots of fun with my next chapter. Please let me know if you enjoyed it. Your comments mean the world to me.

“What are they even talking about in there?” Fred grumbled, staring at the kitchen door grumpily. He’d seen Hermione disappear in there some time ago and it wasn’t long before Malfoy followed her, closing the door behind him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the boy, but that didn’t mean he wanted him in the same room as Hermione, without him or George being there, ready to punch the git if he dared to taunt their girl again. At least they could be sure that the boy wasn't trying to woo Hermione. She'd probably punch him herself if he tried, after what he's put her through during the last years.

“Calm down,” Snape, no Severus, said, while he casually lounged on an armchair, pretending to read a book. Or did he read? “Draco has more sense than you give him credit for. And if there’s somebody able to understand what happened to her, it’s him. He’s shared a house with Voldemort before, which thankfully neither of us had to do.”

Huh, Snape had called the man Voldemort, no longer the Dark Lord. Strange, he could have sworn the man hadn’t done that before. He’d file that fact away and think about it later.  
“But we’d still understand, if she’d just talk to us,” Fred said instead, tussling his hair. 

Snape looked back at him with unfathomable eyes. “We’ll see about that.”

It took ages for that damned door to finally open, releasing a gruff-looking Malfoy and Hermione, whose eyes let on that she had been crying. Merlin, if that idiot had hurt her, he'd choke him with his bare hands. Severus must have seen the telling look on his face, as he cast him a warning glance. Yeah, he was probably right, Fred realized, schooling his features back into the typical Weasley-twin-grin. It was just in time, as Hermione looked up the next moment, staring at the three of them like a deer in the headlights. Malfoy strolled past her, elegantly sitting down on the other armchair, seemingly ignoring the rest of them. Instead, his eyes were on Hermione, as he gave her the tiniest of nods.  
Fred saw her take a deep breath before her eyes sought him out and she said: "I'm linked to Voldemort. It wasn't on purpose, he tricked me into thinking he was somebody else, a friend helping me get away from this place. He wasn't as you saw." For a moment she paused, her eyes ghosting from one person to the other. Snape's face was an unreadable mask, while he and George stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. Malfoy, on the other hand, looked almost supportive, as he patiently waited for her to continue her story. She finally did so with a shaking voice: “I wanted to go to Hogwarts, as this was the place I hoped to find Severus or at least good enough wards to hide behind. We never made it there, as the Death Eaters were already waiting for us. It looked like they were going to kill him, he was cursed pretty badly by Bellatrix Lestrange. But he got us away and I tried to heal him.”  
With that, she stopped and stared at them, probably in the hope for some kind of reaction. But for a moment his head was swimming with what she just told them, unable to find the suitable words. His body on the other hand exactly knew what to do. He was at her side with four quick steps, pulling her into his arms without hesitation. To his big surprise, she did not resist, but crushed against his body, burying her head in his chest. George was not far behind though, closing his arms around her from behind and therefore sandwiching her tightly between them. It felt glorious and even though his heart was still heavy with worry for his girl, holding her already made him feel better. They would find a way out of this for her, together.

It was several minutes before Hermione started to move against his chest and just then he remembered that they were not alone in the room. Malfoy had buried himself in a book, decidedly ignoring the three of them. Snape, on the other hand, stared at them with the same, unreadable expression than before. Fred wasn't even sure if the man had moved at all.  
Finally, Hermione stepped away from them, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, but he and George stayed right at her sides, as she awaited Snape's reaction. She did not have to wait long.  
“I expected that something like that might happen,” their former Professor said calmly. “As soon as he took you I knew it was only a matter of time until he’d get what he wanted. I’m sorry for not coming for you faster.”  
For a moment Hermione just stared at him, frozen in place.  
“You’re not mad at me?” she finally asked, her voice almost inaudible. But Snape must have heard her anyway, as his eyes suddenly softened at her words.   
“Why would I be mad?” he asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly.  
Hermione sighed. “I’ve been stupid, again.”  
The man snorted, shaking his head with a sad smile on his lips. Then he grabbed his left sleeve and started to push it up. “Look at my arm, Hermione. I joined him out of my own free will and…”  
But he didn’t get any further, staring at the white skin of his arm in unmasked disbelief. Only then Fred did follow his eyes, realizing that there was not a mark on him. “It’s gone…” Severus said, his eyes suddenly wild. “How is this possible?”   
Fred did not know the answer and through the twin-bond, he felt that George didn't know either. Hermione, too, shook her head, walking towards the older man with slow steps, while her eyes were focussed on his face. She stepped right next to him before she touched his arm without hesitation. Fred started to ask himself, for how long those two had been friends, because it was quite obvious that they were pretty close.  
“You’re free of him,” Hermione said, carefully running her fingers over the skin of his arm.   
The man nodded. "I shouldn't be. You're serving him a lifetime…" he said before his eyes suddenly widened. And that's when Fred understood what had happened.  
“You died,” he said unnecessarily.  
“Thank you for reminding me, Mr Weasley,” he said, his voice suddenly back to the old sneer. “I had almost forgotten.”   
Fred simply answered him with a boyish grin and a shrug. That seemed to somewhat pacify the professor, as he simply started ignoring him, staring at Hermione and his unmarked arm in silence instead.  
“What do we do now?” Malfoy finally said, looking at the four of them with pale, grey eyes. His words somehow brought them back to the problem at hand.   
Hermione was linked to Voldisnort, who was out to find her. Was that guy maybe even able to tell where she was now?  
It was Snape who finally provided the answer, his eyes seriously focussed on Hermione as he did so. “You need to try to break that bond, the sooner the better. I know that’s easier said than done, but you have to try.”  
The girl nodded and suddenly the fire seemed to have returned to her eyes. "I'll do it," she said, her voice suddenly full of determination. Without another word, she stalked off to her room. This time she did not ward the door.

Ssssssss

When Severus came to find Hermione in her room a few hours later, she was sitting on her bed, legs crossed in front of her. Her face had taken on a look of concentration and small beads of sweat had started to form on her forehead. Still, he could feel her frustration vibrating through the air, or probably through their Link.  
He watched her for a few moments, hesitant to disturb her concentration, but finally, he decided to catch her attention by clearing his throat. Immediately her eyes snapped open and as soon as she realized her posture seemed to relax.  
“Are you hungry?” he asked, taking in her thin frame. The girl probably had not eaten properly for weeks. He could not blame her, as he knew the feeling of not having an appetite too well.   
Hermione shook her head. “I know I should be, but I’m not. This whole thing… I just want this nightmare to be over, you know?”  
He nodded understandingly, as he had had the exact same wish countless times before. “I know. So how is it going, then?”  
His friend shook her head. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, to be honest. I never tried breaking our bond. The bond to him feels different too, it’s strange.”  
Severus looked at her with contemplative eyes, hesitating only for a moment before he offered: “Do you want me to take a look at it? This would require you to lower your Occlumency shields though, which might be a thing you’re no longer comfortable doing.”  
A flicker of panic ghosted over her face but she quickly hid it away. He had only seen it, as he had expected that sort of reaction from her. It was only natural considering the stuff she might have been through.   
“I… don’t know,” she replied hesitantly. “It’s not that I don’t trust you but…”

He nodded. “I understand, you know I do. I have more secrets and things to be ashamed of, than anybody else, things I’d never want you to see. I won’t pry and for all the things I’ll accidentally find I won’t judge you, I swear.”

Hermione looked at him for a long moment, her eyes completely black through the use of Occlumency. He could see that this was how she survived those last months, how she stayed sane in the presence of a man as dangerous and manipulative as his former master.  
"Alright," she finally said, looking at him with a closed-off expression. "I trust you. You're the only one I'm trusting right now, to be honest."

He slowly took her hand, before carefully pressing it. “I won’t hurt you, Hermione, I promise.”  
She nodded and a moment later he saw her lifting her Occlumency shields, layer after layer until there was nothing left of them. It took him all his control not to gasp at the sight. He’d never seen her this vulnerable, her eyes burning with raw emotion and pain, that it almost took away his breath. The fire that once lived in her eyes was almost gone, sniffed out by that bastard that had tricked her into binding herself to him. They needed to break that connection, as soon as possible. Otherwise, there was no saying what this greedy madman would do to his friend's spirit and sanity.  
“I’m ready,” she finally said, her voice sounding small and shaky. He could tell that she had not expected this amount of emotional pain herself, as Occlumency usually helped to bury it or at least keep it at bay. He’d have to hurry to give her the possibility to put herself back together. 

"Alright," he said, locking eyes with her, before pulling his own Occlumency shields as high up as he could. If she was really linked to that bastard he couldn't risk him feeling Severus through the bond. Otherwise, he would hunt him down, mercilessly. For all the outside world knew, Severus Snape was dead. He intended to keep it that way.  
Still, Hermione had never before seen him like that. Not even during their Occlumency lessons had he locked himself that far away, as that level of control required his absolute concentration and was quite frankly terrifying to watch. He knew that his eyes were completely black now, pupils invisible, all expression gone from his face. He could as well have been an animated puppet, that did not have any feeling for her whatsoever. The reality could not have been farther away, but what he intended to do required his absolute concentration. Whatever he found in her mind, he was not allowed to flinch or pull back, otherwise, the consequences for her could be devastating. But he had promised not to hurt her and he intended to keep that promise. "Look at me Hermione," he commanded, holding her hand firmly with his own one. Hermione did as she was told, her eyes focussing on his own once. She was terrified, her pupils only visible as small pinpoints. “Alright, now take a deep breath and prepare yourself.”  
In his head, he counted to three, before he connected his mind with hers, no spell necessary due to the connection they had already established.  
Entering her mind was nothing like he had expected. He had thought it would be like stepping into a hurricane, her feelings of disappointment and rage dominating her inner self. But what he saw reminded him of a war field, ripped pieces of old memories aimlessly floating around him, while others were strewn on the ground, buried between fragments of books and something that looked like burned wood. He forced himself not to look too closely. What he was looking for could not be found here, as it was not memories he was looking for. The links had to be buried deeper, right at her magical core and this where he needed to head now.

Sssssssss

Having Severus in her mind was nothing like she remembered. Usually, she had been able to see what he was doing, as he had always produced some kind of avatar for her to look at. She had known which of her memories he saw, which parts of her past or thoughts he discovered. Not so now. The man was a ghost, being everywhere and nowhere at the same time and that terrified her more than she was able to tell. Still, he kept his promise not to hurt her. Whatever he did, she was not even able to feel it.  
She did not know for how long he was inside her head, as he suddenly felt him, not in her head but close to her heart. With every other person, she would have panicked immediately, as this suddenly felt too close, too intimate or vulnerable, but not with him. Severus somehow felt like he belonged to that part of her as if he had been present of it already. And probably he was… she was linked to him after all.   
That’s when she suddenly heard his voice echoing through her: “Alright, try to concentrate on our bond,” he instructed her and with him right there it was an easy thing to do. The bond flared alive, immediately flooding her with assurance and the knowledge to be accepted, the way she was. She heard a little sigh escaping her lips.   
“Alright,” Severus said again, his voice calm and soothing. “Now try finding that other bond. Don’t be afraid, I’ll be right at your side.”  
It took Hermione all her willpower to let go of the bond to Severus and look for the other one, the one she’d loved to unmake. She found it after a moment of searching, alive and humming with energy. Compared to the bond she had with Severus this one felt different, more static and it seemed like magical energy constantly seemed to flow in both directions.   
"Alright Hermione, try to rip this apart, destroy it in any way imaginable to you. It might hurt, but you have to try anyway." He did not have to tell her twice. She didn't want that thing inside her, wanted it gone and no longer feel sullied by it. And so she attacked it with everything she had. But whatever she seemed to try, no matter how great the pain, this thing would not budge and instead clung to her like the parasite it probably was.  
“Alright, stop,” Severus’ voice suddenly interrupted her and a moment later she could feel her friend gone from her mind and strangely his departure seemed to leave an emptiness behind she immediately longed to fill again. But Severus was gone and there was no saying if she’d ever feel him in this way again. 

It took her a moment to refocus her eyes onto the room again, finding Severus had moved backwards, sitting on her bed while leaning his back onto the wall. His eyes stared into the distance and to her relief the dark brown was again visible in them, making him seem much more human than before.   
“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice full of affection for her.   
She nodded. “I think so yeah. What about you?” she asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Something was wrong, she realized as for some reason Severus’ eyes would not look at her. “Did I hurt you in some way? Or…” what did you see?, she added in her mind.   
For a moment he did not answer, his eyes continuing to stare emptily into the room. Then, suddenly he looked at her with a heavy sigh, his hands carefully taking her right hand into his. "I'm so sorry I did not come for you earlier, Hermione, or for at least warn you. You've even asked me about this man and all I told you was, that I did not know him. I've been an idiot, Hermione. Of course, Voldemort would never have let another man live in the same house as you, he wanted you for himself and he would have never risked losing you to somebody else. I should have known it’s him, I’ve served him for years.”

She looked at her friend with wide eyes. This was not the reaction she had expected from him. “It’s alright, Severus. We’ll fix this and then..”  
But she didn’t get any further, as he suddenly leapt from the bed, shouting: “It’s not alright Hermione. We can’t fix this, not this…”  
He started pacing the room, tiredly rubbing his face with his hands. "Your bond to him is permanent, he closed the link. It can no longer be undone."

“No,” Hermione gasped in horror, as her head started to comprehend what he was saying. “This can’t be, I didn’t… we didn’t…” she stuttered, her cheeks growing pink. But Severus just shook his head with a heavy sigh.

"There are other ways to close the bond, Hermione. He must have found a way to do it, without you being aware of it. I'm sorry," he said, staring at her in compassion. "But it looks like you have an unbreakable bond to the Dark Lord. You'll be connected to him for the rest of your life, no matter what we do."  
It felt like a weight had suddenly been dropped on her chest, making it impossible for her to breathe. Her heart hammered in her chest, while she stared at her friend with wide eyes. There was no getting away from Voldemort, not ever. Through the Link, he would be able to find her, no matter where she tried to hide. And even if she locked herself away in a house hidden by the Fidelius Charm, he could still access her magic, squeeze her empty over and over again, without her being able to stop him. Without even realizing her mistake she had shackled herself to the evilest man alive, sealing not only her fate but probably the one of the whole wizarding world.


	5. The darkness within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys, I’m back! Travelling is nice but I’m usually happy to be back at home. ;-) As I promised you, here’s another update for this story. I hope you’re still enjoying this. I still enjoy writing this, but the current chapters are a little difficult for me. But I hope I’ll muddle through.

Lord Voldemort could feel his servant’s eyes on him, focussing on him with a mix of admiration and fear. His new body had been a surprise to them, as no one but Severus had been aware of his plans. And the traitor was dead. By providing him with that renewed body he had earned himself a painless death, which was more than he deserved. 

“We could not find the girl,” Bella said, eyes wide and full of longing. Her voice was quivering in anticipation but if she hoped to earn herself another round of Crucio, she was mistaken. He was magically connected to his lioness now and he would not sully this bond by casting Unforgivables, at least not without his Queen’s knowledge. He had just broken her trust and it would be hard enough to let her realize that it had been for her best without adding to it. 

“She’s not at Hogwarts.” Nott continued with a deep bow. “The Ministry seems to not even know of her escape as they’re still focussed on Dumbledore and Bella’s mysterious disappearance from Hogwarts. They seem to have shifted their attention on Dumbledore for now which is favourable for us.”

The Dark Lord smiled. It was about time that somebody looked into that man's actions as Dumbledore was as scrupulous as he himself. Only that Lord Voldemort had never hidden what he was and what he did whereas Dumbledore hid behind Hogwarts walls and a grandfatherly smile and let everybody believe that he was a kind old man. The man had never been able to fool him, not even as a boy. As a child that man had given him the creeps and he'd kept his distance from him until he was sure he'd be able to defend himself. "Good, this will keep the old fool busy. The longer he's unaware that your Queen is out there the better."

His followers nodded, devotion written across their faces. But that didn't mean anything did it? Snape had still been a traitor in the end and he hadn't even suspected. Who would be the next to turn his back on him, to steal his Queen? Not that she could be stolen any longer… And suddenly he realized that a demonstration of the Link and the powers coming with it was in order. He would let the world know that the Open Link and her power were his now and if he did it skilfully, he could even get his queen back in the same turn.

"For us, it is time to take the next step to conquer the wizarding world," he said, getting up from his throne to underline his words. "By linking myself to the Open Link I have gained enough power to finally make our dream come true. The wizarding world will be at our feet, my friends and I’ll rule about wizards and muggles alike, finally showing them their rightful places.”

At first, there was a murmur amongst his followers before the first ones started cheering and praising their master.  
He looked at them with a smile that was full of promises. “Together, my friends, we’ll finally take what is rightfully ours. And we’ll start tomorrow by taking over the Ministry.”

Ssssssss

Hermione was breaking down in front of him. Knowing that she had shackled herself to the Dark Lord was too much for her, as she had suddenly gone white as a sheet and started to tremble all over. He knew her feelings well, as he had experienced them first hand when he held Lily's corpse in his own hand, knowing that it was his fault she was dead. How long would it take until the first people started dying again and Hermione would be eaten up by guilt like he had been? What would remain of her spirit, when the Dark Lord had her back at his side? But no, he wouldn't let it come to this, not as long there was still breath in him.

"I can't breathe," Hermione wheezed before he saw her sway sideways, in danger of falling to the side. It was probably only a matter of seconds until she passed out and considering she only had eaten one meal since arriving yesterday after Merlin knew how many days of starving, it wasn't really a surprise.

He was back at her side immediately stabilizing her with his hands from behind. "It's alright Hermione, just try taking deep breaths. I know it's difficult," he murmured, carefully holding her in place. "I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you," he went on but she was shaking like a leaf. How was he supposed to help her through this, to comfort her? He had always avoided feelings and knew next to nothing about how to comfort a person. He'd never had somebody to comfort him, not even his mother who had always tried to keep her distance to not spark his father's jealousy. Should he send for the twins? They'd surely know how to do this, how to comfort her. But would they really? Would they even be able to understand what she went through? For somebody who had not been in this position, it was hard to understand, almost impossible. He knew how it felt to realize that there was no way out, that he had sealed his fate by making a grievous mistake. And he knew the guilt that came with it, the wish to die…

At least she did as she was told and took slow, deep breaths while she was leaning against him. It wouldn’t be long until his arms went numb, which was why he decided to shift his position and climb back onto the bed with her. Luckily he’d warded the door as soon as he entered the room. He did not fancy being found cuddling with a student in bed - no not a student, he wasn’t a teacher any longer, his death had at least freed him from that obligation. 

“But he’ll try to find me. Merlin, you know how dangerous he is. And even if we’re safe here, what about the others? How am I supposed to protect them?”   
Again he was reminded of his younger self, shackling himself to another master in the hope to protect the woman he loved. And suddenly he knew how to help her to at least feel understood. 

“You can’t,” he said, pulling her into an embrace from behind. “I had to learn this the hard way. Let me tell you a story, a story of a much younger and much more stupid Severus Snape.”

For a moment Hermione did not react. She simply sat there, limp in his arms staring unseeingly into the slowly darkening room. Merlin, was it already starting to dawn again? Finally, he felt her nod against his chest, before she turned her head to look up at him with eyes full of uncertainty. "I… you don't have to…" she whispered, but that only caused him to shake his head with a sad smile.

“I know I don’t and believe me, it’s a story I would love to undo or at least forget. But that’s just it, Hermione. There are mistakes you can’t take back, no matter how much you want to.”

She nodded, her eyes seeking out his face as she did. “I already know you took the Dark Mark Severus, you don’t have to tell me why,” she said and cast him a sad smile.

He couldn't help but smile at her innocence. "This is not about me taking the Dark Mark Hermione, that's just how my story began." He cradled her a bit closer, realizing that he was doing it as much for his own comfort as for his. "You already know my father was an abusive bastard. I grew up in a house full of violence and poverty, which often caused me to stroll through the neighbourhood in the intention to spend as little time at home as possible." Hermione nodded again before she turned her head back and relaxed in his arms, her breathing starting to slow down. Good.

“This is when I met my first and for a long time only friend, the girl I started and never stopped to love… her name was Lily Evans.”  
He felt her stiffen in his arms, as she started to comprehend his words. But he did not let this distract him and he hastily continued his story. “I told her she was a witch, told her about Hogwarts as I already knew about magic from my mother. Lily… did not judge me for my poor clothing or my dirty face, instead, she listened to my tales for hours before asking millions of questions. She made me feel… special, respected, which was a completely new experience for me. It did not take long for us to go to Hogwarts together, only that we were sorted into different houses and before long made different sorts of friends." 

He let the story flow from there, his mind bringing up more and more memories of his childhood and youth. It was a painful thing for him to do, to relive all the pranks and teasing and the end of his friendship to Lily. But as he told Hermione it was like a weight was suddenly lifted from his chest, a weight he no longer was aware was even there.

“Oh Severus,” she whispered, turning around in his arms before hugging him tightly. “I’m so sorry, I can’t believe she could not forgive you for calling her by that slur.”

He smiled sadly into her hair. “Our friendship was too far gone already and we had both chosen different paths in our lives. I was on my way becoming a Death Eater and she knew. Back then Voldemort almost openly recruited at school, using Slytherin prefects to watch out for potential recruits. My talent for potions and spell crafting was something that caught his eye and he was only too willing to pay my apprenticeship for becoming a Potions Master. But that wasn’t the only reason I joined him. My father hadn’t been helpful in installing trust and respect for muggles within me. I despised him for how he treated me and my mother and I projected these feelings on the rest of the Muggle world. In short: I believed in the ideals he proclaimed.”

Hermione nodded calmly against his chest. “And so you took the Dark Mark,” she said, sounding like she expected this to be the conclusion of his story. How wrong she was. 

“As soon as I left Hogwarts, yes. And for a while, everything seemed as it should be. That was until I accidentally listened in to a prophecy, a prophecy concerning a child that is born to be Voldemort's equal, having a power the Dark Lord knows not." He continued telling her the whole, gruesome story. His realisation that the prophecy was about Lily’s son, his attempts to save his friend by shackling himself to a second master. When he finally ended his story by telling Hermione how she found his dead friend in the ruins of her house, the girl broke in his arms, openly crying while clinging to his chest.

“Oh Severus, I’m so sorry…” she whispered, looking up at him with warm brown eyes. 

He looked back at her with a sad smile. "I did not plan to continue living after   
Voldemort was proclaimed dead. I did not think I could live with all the guilt I had laden on my soul. I am the reason Harry is an orphan Hermione and the boy will never know."

"I will not tell him, I'll never tell a soul what you just told me," she swore, locking eyes with him. "This is between you and me."

Severus nodded. He knew that he could trust her, otherwise, he would have never opened up to her. "I know, Hermione. I trust you. But do you understand why I told you my story? You aren't the only one who made grave mistakes and like me, you'll have to live with them." He chose his words carefully, as he knew there was another option for her, another out. He had more than once thought about ending his own life back then, a route he did not want her to take, no matter how tempting it was. 

"What if I can't? How did you find the strength to keep going?" she asked, confirming his fears. This girl was not staying alone tonight and not the following ones until he could be sure she was stable again.

"Dumbledore reminded me that there was still Harry, an orphan, the Dark Lord was out to kill. I knew he wasn't really dead. You saw what happens to the Dark Mark if one really dies. The Mark never vanished, it only faded a bit, meaning he was still out there, somewhere. I lived on because there was still someone who might need me one day and today I’m glad I did.”

“I need you,” Hermione immediately said, looking at him with wide, desperate eyes. It encouraged him to hold her even closer. 

“And I’ll be there for you, all the way through. That’s the difference, Hermione. Back then I was alone, but you are not. I’ll be right at your side and I’ve got the feeling I won’t be the only one.” He looked at her with an encouraging smile, but he could feel the uneasiness radiating from her.

“You said I won’t be able to protect you, or anyone I love. What am I supposed to do then?” she asked.

Severus smiled down at her with sad eyes. "Don't make the same mistakes I made. Stop pushing the ones you love away and instead keep them as close to you as you can. That's the only advice I have for you, Hermione, but believe me, it's a good one."

Hermione sighed in his arms. “Do you think they’ll still want me, after learning that the Link can no longer be broken?”, she asked, her voice full of uncertainty.   
He looked down at her with a small smile. “That’s for them to decide, Hermione. All you can do is to finally talk to them… properly. I don’t believe they will hurt you and if they do I’ll poison them.” He said those words with a smile, causing Hermione to finally smile back at him. There was still hope for her. He just needed her to realize that. 

Ssssssss

“Stop staring at her door,” Malfoy told them in an unnerved tone. They had tried to play a game of Exploding Snap to calm their nerves, while the pale blonde boy had been reading a book in one of the armchairs. But their eyes had repeatedly ghosted towards Hermione’s closed door like a look from them would finally cause the damned thing to spring open. But it didn’t. 

“ ‘S not that easy,” Fred grumbled. “I’m worried about her. Breaking a Link to the darkest wizard of all time can’t be easy. What if something went wrong?”

Malfoy sighed. “Severus is with her. He’s a specialist in mind magic and an excellent potions master. The worst thing that can happen is that they are unable to break that Link.”

The idiot was probably right, but that didn’t change their wish to be there for her. But apart from their hug in the morning they did not have much chance to do that.   
Fred cursed. He needed to distract himself. This game of Exploding Snap was not working. “You knew Hermione was connected to You-Know-Who didn’t you?” he asked, in the attempt to start a conversation with the younger Slytherin. Surprisingly it worked. With a sigh, he put his book aside and looked with them with a neutral expression.

"I strongly suspected, after I saw and heard her reaction after waking up in the hide-out. Then she brought back Snape, which must have cost her an enormous amount of energy, more than she could have brought up herself. Lastly, there were her eyes, when she looked up at you during the process…"

The twins nodded, a shudder running down their backs. “They were red,” George said, his face grim. "You think she channelled You-Know-Who's magical energy, don't you?" 

“I do. The link to him might have been the only possible way to save Severus. It requires an enormous amount of power to do such a thing,” Malfoy said, his eyes full of unspoken thoughts. It was obvious that the boy brooded over something, but it was unlikely that he would share those particular thoughts with them. It was already a miracle that they had something like a civilised discussion together. 

“Yeah, guess that’s true. Kind of gives me mixed feelings about this whole bonding-to-Voldisnort-thing,” Fred said contemplatively. “Couldn’t she use the Link to bring the bastard down? If she could take his energy once, she could do it again, right?”

Malfoy sighed. "Unfortunately this works both ways. This time she might have caught him by surprise, but next time? He's the stronger wizard and the energy drain works in both directions. As soon as he sees her as a danger, this will get ugly," the boy warned, staring at them darkly. "Apart from that, I'm pretty sure Granger doesn't want his energy running through her body. She wants no part of him, that's pretty obvious."

George shuddered. The imagination of having Voldemort’s magic run through him made him sick and he hadn’t spent weeks in the man’s company trying to manipulate him. The idea must seem ten times worse for Hermione. “Alright, no using the Link. Then let's hope Severus and Hermione are able to break it. Otherwise, we're fucked." 

Fred nodded and not even Malfoy felt the need to contradict him.


	6. Pulling you close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here’s another chapter for you. I hope you are ready for some fluff. Because Hermione deserves some and I think we do, too. ;-)

Hermione took Snape’s advice and knocked onto the twin's door after everybody had retreated for the evening. Her friend's story still resonated in her, made her heartache for him and the love he had never had. Suddenly she was seeing Harry’s past from a whole different perspective and she couldn’t help but ask herself what it had been like for Lily. Had she known that Severus was in love with her? Probably. But Hermione would never know for sure. 

It was only a moment until the door was opened, revealing George clad in a checkered pyjama, ready for bed. 

“Hermione,” he said, a surprised smile on his face. Instantly she felt a flutter of nervousness in her belly. Severus had given her the advice to not make the same mistakes he had made. Only that it felt much safer to keep those two at arm’s length and not think about what she still felt for them. 

“Could I come in for a bit?” she asked hesitantly and the boy immediately stepped aside to invite her in. 

“ ‘Course you can,” she suddenly heard Fred say behind his brother. “We told you we’d be there if you felt like talking or enjoying some more Weasley cuddles.” He winked at her playfully. 

Hermione nodded and stepped into the room. It was bigger than hers but surprisingly it only held one huge bed in the middle of the room. But then she remembered that the twins had a similar sleeping arrangement at Grimmauld Place and asked herself if this was what they secretly preferred. 

She walked a few steps into the room and took a hesitant look at the small sofa to her right before she realized that she preferred to stand. Fred and George didn't question her decision, just stepped in front of her with an encouraging smile on their faces. "So, how did it go?" George asked before she had the chance to find the right words to start this conversation. Now she realized that there would probably be no chance of stalling for her. Of course, those two wanted to know if she had managed to break that damned link.

She sighed. “Not well. Severus says the link is a permanent one. We don’t know how he did it, but somehow Voldemort managed to make the connection to him unbreakable.” There, she said it. Now she braced herself for their reaction.

For a moment the twins seemed stunned into silence, while their brown eyes studied her with obvious concern. "Are you… alright, love?" George finally asked her and to her surprise, he even took a step into her direction.

She shook her head. “Not really, no. It’s like I’m suddenly trapped in some sort of nightmare with no way out and to be honest, I don’t know what to do now.”

The twins nodded. “Understandable,” Fred said, looking at her with an inclined head. “But you’re not alone in this. If this is a nightmare, we’re right here at your side, alright?”

Hermione stared at them with a sad smile. “I know and I really appreciate your friendship, boys. What you did for me…”

But Fred interrupted her by shaking his head. “We love you, Hermione, that's why we did it. We have for a long time and we never stopped to," he said, locking his eyes with her. "I'm sorry if that makes you feel uncomfortable or pressured because that's the last thing we want." 

George nodded. "You're holding all the cards, love. But we swore to each other to tell you when we next saw you. And luckily we got the chance to do it."

Hermione was speechless. That had been the last thing she had expected from this conversation. Support? Yes. Pity? Definitely. But a declaration of love? Not in her wildest dreams. And still, she could not deny that her heart had started beating wildly in her chest at Fred's words. "But I'm linked to Voldemort now…" she said uneasily, looking at them with sad eyes. 

George sighed. “And that’s why you don’t want to be with us?” he asked, looking at her with inquiring eyes. 

She looked back at him with a stunned expression. “What? No! I…”  
But she didn’t get any further. 

“Good,” Fred said, smiling at her. “Because this is not about some sort of Link, Hermione. We want to be with you because we fancy the pants off of you…" 

George nodded. “We were never interested in linking with you, we just want you for who you are and not for what you can do… if that makes any sense.”

It did and for some reason, those words were, what finally broke her restraint and made her close the distance between the three of them. With a tiny sob, she threw herself at George, closing her arms around his neck, before she pulled him into a desperate kiss. At first, he seemed totally stunned by her reaction, but not even a second later he kissed her back with a happy smile playing on his lips. His fingers sunk into her hair, playing with her curls, while his mouth eagerly showed her that their words hadn’t been a lie. He really wanted her, no matter whom she linked herself with, and showed that by eagerly exploring her mouth with his tongue. 

It didn't take long though until he broke the kiss and Hermione couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment when he suddenly pulled back. But then she saw the smile on his lips before he stepped aside and Fred took his place, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. A moment later she was kissed by him, the hunger and fire in his kiss taking her breath away. 

“I love you,” he whispered, pulling her tightly in his arms. Then his lips were back at hers, ravishing her mouth with an intensity that made her dizzy. Why had she driven those boys away in the past? Looking back at their younger selves now, her reasons for not being with them seemed almost laughable. What would have happened, if she hadn't driven them away the last time if she'd simply been with them and closed the link? Yes, she could not have done so with both of them, but would it really have mattered? She could have still been with both of them, been happy and safe…  
“Stop thinking,” Fred murmured against her mouth, petting her cheek with his thumb. That was, when she suddenly felt George behind her, his stubble tickling her neck before she heard him whisper into her ear: “Right now there’s only you, Freddie and me. The world outside can wait for a while.”

Hermione nodded into the kiss, causing Fred to smile happily against her mouth. She couldn't help but smile back before a happy little sigh escaped her mouth.  
“So you, Georgie and I? This is really happening?” Fred asked, seeking out her eyes with his. 

She nodded hesitantly. “If that’s really what you want?”

“More than anything,” George whispered from behind, while Fred kissed her again before saying: “Merlin, yes.” 

“Then this is really happening,” Hermione said a disbelieving smile on her face. For once her head did not protest and her heart sang with joy over the realization that Fred and George Weasley were finally hers and they’d probably snog her the whole night if that's what she wanted to do. And right now that sounded like a fabulous idea. 

Ssssssss

He had sensed his queen’s feelings several times through the bond now. There had been shame, fear, despair and even hate on one occasion and he could have sworn that the latter was directed towards him. It had felt like she was trying to shake off the bond between them, attacked it with a vigour that made him smile. His little lioness could rage all she wanted, the link connecting them was permanent now, no matter how much she tried to break it. The two of them were meant for each other and luckily there was time enough for her to come to that same conclusion. 

He was just about to ready himself for bed when there was a new wave of feeling from her side. Only that those feelings were nothing like the ones he had felt from her before. There were happiness and love… Why was she feeling love right now? For whom? She was his now, didn’t she realize that? 

Obviously not, as the feelings oozing through the bond got more and more clear with every minute. It was almost too much for him. And then her lust hit him like a brick wall. Lust! No, that was the last thing he ever wanted her to be feeling when he was not nearby. 

She was with somebody she loved and she was definitely enjoying herself. He snarled in impotent fury as he focused on her emotions. This was not how it was supposed to be, what was supposed to happen. He should have never let her escape with this polyjuiced imposter, that wasn't worthy of being close to her, let alone touch her. Then he remembered there had been three polyjuiced Snapes and the realization caused him to destroy a nearby table. Those twins! They must have swooped in now that Snape was dead. Probably taking advantage of the state his Queen was in to worm their way into her heart.

He'd have to get her back, soon or he'd slowly start to go mad. Getting these feelings from her and knowing they weren't directed towards him was torture and not in a good way. He needed to finally find her and convince her that he was the one she should love and desire. And then he'd find out who this other person was she loved and let him or her disappear. Luckily Nagini was always eager to be of service when it came to that. 

Ssssssss

"I take it their reunion is going well," Draco said, staring at his sour face with a knowing smile. They'd only been sitting in the living room together for a few moments until he had suddenly started to get those feelings from her. They weren't directed towards him, thank goddess, but being able to sense them still felt wrong.   
Severus looked at his godson with a sigh. That cheeky bugger really was a good observer. He had always prided himself with the knowledge that he was hard to read, but the young Malfoy knew him for a long time and was able to interpret the tiniest signs on his face. 

“Obviously,” he replied dryly and forced himself not to look into the direction of the twin’s room. What happened there was really none of his business. But Merlin, as soon as he started feeling lust from her, he would run to his room and drown a bottle of dreamless sleep. Because that was more than he could take. 

“Good for her,” Draco said neutrally, staring at him with a knowing smile on his face. “She deserves some moments of happiness before it all goes south. It’s only a matter of time until Voldemort starts to up his game. And when that happens…”

Severus nodded. “I know, I’ve been there when it happened the last time. Last time he was obsessing over Potter and in his desire to find the boy he extinguished several wizarding and non-magical families. I’ve got the feeling this time it will be even worse.”

Draco looked at him with a serious expression. “You know that there’s a way to end this, to break the bond,” he said, looking at his godfather with a carefully blank expression on his face.

Severus nodded grimly. “We both know it’s what the Headmaster would suggest to her, as soon as he realized that she had closed the link with the wrong counterpart. The only way to break that link now is, when one of the two dies and as that bastard is almost impossible to kill right now…” 

Draco nodded. “Do you think she’s aware of that solution?”

He sighed. “She might not be right now as it was only a bit more than a day since she discovered her mistake. But she will get to that realisation pretty soon, I fear, which is when we’ll have to start watching her.”

“You think she’d do it?” his godson asked in disbelief. 

At that, a humourless smile crept on his face. "Right now I don't know what Hermione would do or would not so. But she is a Gryffindor at heart and those tend to do the noble but stupid thing."

It was the sad truth, Severus realized. It was a good thing he was still linked with her, this way he’d know when she got those kinds of thoughts. Maybe those twins were exactly what his friend needed now. If there was somebody able to get her through this time and still see the good things, then it was them. Severus had lost his optimism long ago which probably made him the wrong person to still let her see some sort of perspective in this whole mess.

Ssssssss

George looked at the girl in his arms and couldn’t help but smile. They hadn’t moved a metre since she had come into their room, much too busy snogging the breath out of her. Merlin, it felt good to finally be able to do that.   
Hermione tasted like tea and smelled like cinnamon, he realized and now and then tiny sighs escaped her mouth in between their kisses, that made his heart flutter with happiness. They were finally doing this and George didn’t think he wanted to stop anytime soon. But considering what Hermione had probably been through, that might not be the best idea. 

"You alright love?" he asked after he managed to tear himself away from her mouth after god knew how long. For a moment Hermione didn't reply, but she opened her eyes and stared up at him with a dazed expression in them. Then she nodded with a shy smile, her cheeks colouring prettily.

"Good," Fred said from behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder while leaning his head against hers. "Tell us if we overdo it, alright? We don't want you to feel uneasy or overwhelmed, alright? With there being two of us that probably an easy thing to happen."

For some reason that caused Hermione to smile before she stepped away from them with her caramel-brown eyes sparkling vibrantly. "I'm alright," she assured them. "I know you'd stop right away if I told you so."

“ ‘Course we would. This whole thing ‘s supposed to be fun for all of us, right?” George asked, searching her eyes with a smile on his face. 

Hermione nodded. “You see? So why would I feel overwhelmed? This is nice.”

“Nice, huh?” Fred asked, moving around her with a challenging grin on his face.   
“Oh, I think we can do better than nice. Don’t you think, Georgie?”

“Absolutely,” George agreed, just as he saw his brother sweep the girl off her feet, carrying the squealing and giggling girl into the direction of their twin bed. He followed them with an excited flutter in his belly. The three of them cuddled together in a huge bed, was everything he had wished for in the last months. Why couldn’t they just stay here forever, letting the world outside care for itself?

Fred carefully dropped their girl into the middle of the bed before crawling onto the covers with a wide grin on his face. “Tell us to stop if this is getting too much for you,” he said before pulling her into another lingering kiss. George climbed onto the mattress from the other side, watching the two of them for a few seconds, before he crawled closer and started caressing Hermione’s shoulders and arms with his hands. He heard her make a small moan into Fred’s mouth and took it as a sign that she liked what they just did. Good, because if this was going by him they could continue like this for the rest of the night.


	7. To the ground

Usually, Lord Voldemort would have decided to take over the Ministry from within. But with Lucius … indisposed and his queen on the run from him with vultures circling her and hoping to put their claws into her caused him to decide on a more direct approach. To shoo those greedy bastards away from his queen he would have to demonstrate to them that the Gryffindor lioness was his now and that Lord Voldemort was not someone to be crossed.

Fortunately one of those greedy bastards sat right at the top of the Ministry of Magic, able to command all the Auror forces needed to find his queen. Lord Voldemort would take him down publicly and make an example of what happened to those who tried to steal what was rightfully his. 

He carefully prepared himself in the bathroom, let the house elves bring his most impressive black robes. Now that he had his old body back it was finally time to show himself to the wizarding world as they needed to see their future ruler. There was no doubt that the press would write about today’s events and he wanted the pictures taken of him to be most favourable. His lioness, wherever she was, would surely follow the media and it was vital that she was reminded of his virtues. And he knew that she had been attracted by his new looks, so attracted that she no longer trusted herself to follow what her head told her to do. Now that this decision had been unconsciously made by her, she no longer had to hold back and could finally follow her instincts. He only had to awaken them once more. 

As soon as he was in the throne room he started to call his followers, all of them. Together with the new recruits, they were an impressive little army that lusted to finally shed some blood again. Today they would be allowed to satisfy that urge with whoever dared to stand up against them. 

“Today, my friends, is the day of our victory,” he proclaimed, arms raised at his sides. He'd seen that gesture in a church, which he had been forced to visit as a child. The ideas proclaimed there were, of course, ridiculous, but some of the ongoings had been a useful inspiration for his own treatment of his followers later on. "Today we will make the first step for conquering the wizarding world and we'll start by tearing down this disgrace of a ministry. Follow me, my friends, and be part of our victory." 

He just wanted to make the first step down the stairs leading up to his throne when he saw it, a small colourful beetle sitting on the back of his arm. He didn’t need to pull out his wand to freeze the little escapee with a spell, catching it before it fell to the floor. There she was, Rita Skeeter, lying on the palm of his hand, looking up at him with her large, shining beetle eyes. 

“Rita Skeeter,” he said with a dangerous smile gracing his lips. “And there I thought we would never meet again. Did you think you could listen in to one of our meetings without getting to feel the consequences of such an action?” he said and for a moment he felt the urge to just crush the annoying woman with his bare hands. He imagined the satisfying crunch that would make. But no, the woman belonged to his queen. He could give her to his lioness as a present when he finally welcomed her back into his arms. Until then he would see if the woman could make herself useful and therefore earn her life back. 

"Fortunately for you, I and my friends are quite busy, as you might have heard. Therefore I will take you along on our little trip, enabling you to be a witness to our victory," he exclaimed, tightly holding up the animagus between his thumb and his index finger. "Afterwards I'll give you the chance to prove your worth by writing a glowing article about me and my queen. If you do well, you'll live…" he said, leaving the other option open to her imagination. He was sure she'd come to the right conclusion on her own. Openly killing her would probably upset his queen, but there was always the option of letting that infamous woman silently disappear.

Ssssssss

It was Dolores’ first day back at the minister’s office. It had been a hard recovery for her, as memories of her visit to the cave - as she called that horrible place in her head - came haunting her day and night. She still could not sleep in the dark and had difficulties drinking any form of liquid, no matter how much sugar she put into it. But the St. Mungo’s staff declared her recovered and she was eager to finally return to the minister’s side. 

She needed to warn him about that maniac that was out to conquer the wizarding world with the girl at his side. It was only a matter of time until he broke her will. Hermione Granger was nothing but a bookworm and teacher’s pet and unfortunately easy to impress with knowledge and magic of any kind. When that happened and he finally had access to her magic he would start his mad plan of conquering the wizarding world. And when this happened they needed to be prepared. 

Unfortunately, she did not even make it to the Minister's office until things started going south. It was just an hour into her working day when she suddenly heard a turmoil outside of her door. There was the unmistaken sound of spellfire paired with the shouts of the Auror guards that had been permanently stationed in front of her and the minister’s door. It wasn’t long until she heard their screams of pain, making Dolores realize that she had made a big mistake. She should have never come back to the ministry but fled somewhere safe and warm, somewhere far away from Britain. Now it was too late, she realized in dismay, as the door to her office was suddenly pulled open, revealing a handsome, young man she had never seen before. 

“Dolores Umbridge,” he said, an evil smile spreading on his face. “Isn’t that a happy coincidence? My queen will be so pleased to have you back,” he said, pointing his wand at her. That was when she realized she would probably not die today - her fate was much worse than that. 

Ssssssss

Hermione felt warm and safe and snuggly. For the first time in months, it was like she floated in a bubble of happiness, instead of being weighed down by her problems or sorrows. Yes, her problems were still there, but right now it felt like they didn't matter for this moment. And suddenly it felt like she could finally breathe again. 

With a comfortable sigh, she shifted in her bed only to realize that it wasn't empty. There was somebody next to her, two somebodies actually.

"Morning sunshine," George mumbled next to her before she felt his arms snake around her waist and pull her close like a teddy bear. Fred, who seemed to have slept on her other side, seemed to be already awake. He had his head propped up on his hand and stared at them with a happy smile.   
“Sleep well?” he asked, before reaching out for her to caress her cheek with his hand. 

Hermione nodded with a smile. She hadn't actually planned to fall asleep in their bed and arms, but somehow there never seemed the right moment to say good night. Apart from that, it didn't seem like the twins actually wanted her to leave. And so she simply stayed until she must have fallen asleep in their arms. 

“Good,” Fred said before crawling closer and softly kissing her onto her lips. “Because I do smell breakfast out there, which kind of seems like a fantastic idea.”

Hermione giggled. “Hungry much, are we?” she teased, a happy flutter in her belly. “Well then, up with you. I do fancy a cup of tea myself,” she admitted. 

Fred kissed her again, happiness and mischief radiating from his eyes before he leapt out of bed like a bouncy ball. Hermione heard George chuckle behind her before he pulled her closer to his chest.

"Go ahead, twin o' mine," he shouted, before nuzzling Hermione's neck with his nose. "I need some more cuddles from my glorious girlfriend before I can stomach Snape glaring at me over breakfast."

Hermione giggled, tickled by his breath that let goosebumps spread over the skin of her neck. Severus was the one who had sent her to them, but that was a fact she would not mention to either of them.

Sssssssss

When Fred entered the kitchen, Snape was already there, expertly turning pancakes while clad in a Slytherin green apron. It was the strangest sight and when his former potions master greeted him with a friendly expression that Fred couldn’t help but ask himself if he was still asleep. But then he took the first bite of pancake and realized that he couldn't be because they tasted freaking delicious. 

George and Hermione joined them shortly after, Hermione wearing a sleepy but happy smile on her face. It was a sight that made his heart sing with joy. 

“You look rested,” Snape said neutrally, but there was a twinkle in his eyes that was hard to miss. Hermione good-naturedly rolled her eyes at him. 

“I am,” she said simply, before taking another bite of her pancake, looking totally unfazed by Snape’s unasked question. 

The man chuckled. “Very well then.”

For a moment there was silence, but suddenly the light-heartedness of the moment was interrupted when Hermione's fork noisily dropped onto her place. Fred's head snapped around and saw that she had gone white as a sheet, looking at the four of them with eyes wide in panic. 

"I suddenly don't feel very well," she mumbled before he already saw her sway on her chair. To his other side, he heard Snape curse and from the corner of his eye, he saw him hastily jump to his feet.

"Catch her," he shouted running towards the sofa, before sitting down on it with a groan. "She'll pass out at any moment."

Fred stared at the man in confusion, but George was immediately at his feet, supporting Hermione who looked at them with panicked eyes.

“What’s happening?” she asked, her voice shaking with fear. It was the same question echoing through his and George’s head.

"He's draining your energy," Snape explained calmly, although he suddenly sounded somewhat strange. Why did he look like he was going to pass out at any moment?

Hermione looked at her former professor in confusion. “How do you know?” she asked, now leaning more and more heavily against his brother. 

Snape groaned. “Because you’re siphoning mine.”  
For a tiny moment, his words didn't make sense at all, but then all puzzle pieces started to fall into place. Of course. They had known that Hermione must already have linked herself to someone. Fred had seen her use her power as Open Link in the ministry after all. Why hadn’t they seen this any earlier? Snape got himself killed in the attempt to rescue Hermione. Of course, it was he, whom she linked herself with.  
It only took a moment for Snape to sag to the side, eyes closing with a pained groan. Hermione followed shortly after, her eyes rolling back in her head before she fell against George. His brother expertly lifted her from her chair, carrying her into the direction of their shared bedroom. Fred's eyes followed them in concern.

“I’ll stay with Severus,” Malfoy said, carefully sitting down next to his godfather. His face was grim but he didn’t look a bit surprised by what was happening. 

“You’ve known all along they were linked, didn’t you?” Fred asked, unable to suppress the reproachful look in his eyes. 

Malfoy shrugged. “It was kind of obvious,” he replied, his eyes not leaving the still form of the unconscious man on the sofa.

The redhead sighed. “Does this mean You-Know-Who has access to both of their magic? He can drain both of them?” he asked, even though he already guessed the answer. And he didn’t like it one bit.

“Looks like it. Which means somewhere outside things are getting ugly right now.”  
Fred cursed, his mind wandering to his family that was in the Order and who was most likely facing that evil bastard right now. Merlin, he wished he could be at their side now, supporting them in what they did. But he had given his promise, he could not leave Hermione behind now. 

“Merlin, it’s bad enough he can pull Hermione’s magic, but Snape’s as well. Isn’t there anything we can do?” he asked, feeling helpless. 

Malfoy sighed. “Right now? There’s nothing we can do. He can siphon them whenever he likes, can squeeze their magical energy from them like juice from an orange.”

Fred groaned. “This sounds like we’re fucked,” he said, pulling his hair.

Malfoy looked at him with a humourless smile. “Pretty much, yeah.” 

Sssssssss

His queen’s magic flooded him, ran through his body and veins and it felt glorious. It felt much cleaner than his own one, running through his veins in the most intoxicating and arousing way. It felt heavenly. Paired with his own magic those fools at the ministry didn't stand a chance. His spells broke through shields like they were made out of thin paper and threw Aurors through the air like they were nothing but rag dolls. There was no one who was able to stop him now, not even Dumbledore that old fool. Part of him hoped that the man would make an appearance today so that he could wipe the floor with him and kill him in front of his pitiful band of Gryffindors that called themselves the Order of Phoenix. What a laughable name. None of them would rise again if they dared to cross him today. He was Lord Voldemort the Conqueror of Death and he would teach them a lesson. 

Ssssssss

“How is she?” Malfoy asked them, staring at Hermione’s small, unmoving figure from the doorway. 

George shook his head with a tired sigh. "She's still unconscious," he said and by the look on Malfoy's face, it was the same with Snape, who was still lying on one of the sofas.

Malfoy nodded and turned around without another word. When he later strolled through the living room, the boy was back to the sofa, his aristocratic nose buried into another, thick book. George could see his grey eyes eagerly skimming the pages. What was he reading anyway? He tried to focus on the title, but somehow the letters on the back of the book started to blur when he did so. Strange.   
He'd confront the boy with it later. For now, he just wanted some tea and toast before he hurried back to Hermione's side. Malfoy could wait. Hermione needed him right now and that Slytherin didn't look like he was going anywhere, anytime soon.

Ssssssss

Albus listened to the Order member's reports with growing worry. Tom's attack on the ministry had been a lost cause, Aurors and ministry employees who dared oppose the man being killed without mercy and restraint. Together with what the chosen one told them, this painted a more than worrying picture.  
It was obvious that the Open Link had made the mistake of binding herself to the worst person imaginable. Somehow Tom Riddle had managed to charm her or trick her into supporting him.  
Albus could only hope that the LInk wasn’t a permanent one. Finding that out would only be possible if he had the girl. That Link between her and Tom needed to be snapped, no matter the price. The wizarding world would only be safe again when this connection was finally broken and the girl either suitably linked, or dead.  
Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found. Not even Fawkes was able to reach her, which meant that she had either never escaped her prison in the first place or was behind equally powerful wards. But who should have set them up? The Weasley twins? The boys had been suspiciously absent from the headquarters for the last days, their mother growing more and more worried with every day that passed without a word from them. They had always been somewhat devoted to the bookish Gryffindor so it was most likely she was with them. But the idea that they were able to do or afford such warding was simply laughable. Were they with the link? It was possible. He’d let Fawkes look into their whereabouts right away.   
But if that attempt to procure the Open Link also failed, then there was for now only one route he could take. Tom Riddle had to be taken care of, one way or the other and right now there was only one way to finally get rid of him, by destroying his Horcruxes one by one. 

Luckily Albus had gotten a new, good lead on one of them. He had finally been able to obtain a memory that gave him the location of Tom Riddle's mother's home in Little Hangleton. By everything he knew about Riddle's character, this was a very likely hiding place for one of his Horcruxes. As all other roads seemed to be closed to him for now, he'd follow that lead first. Afterwards, Fawkes would hopefully be back with some news on the Link or the Chosen One would have some more insights into Tom's mind.

Albus sighed. Right now the game didn’t look promising for his side, but luckily he was a very skilled player. He had outplayed Grindelwald in his youth and even gotten the Elder Wand from him. He’d do the same with Tom Riddle, with or without the support of the Open Link. 

Ssssssss


	8. Killing me slowly

When Hermione awoke she felt horrible. Her mouth tasted like something had recently died on her tongue and her head hurt like she'd had too much to drink. Well, she imagined her head would hurt like this if she had, she was lacking first-hand knowledge in that department after all.  
She opened her eyes with a groan and looked into two pairs of brown eyes that studied her with concern.  
"Hello sleepyhead," George greeted her, a soft smile playing on his lips. Still, there was a worried glint in his eyes that had not been there in the morning. Hell, how she wished herself back to Grimmauld place, where she had also woken up in bed with those two. Knowing what she knew now, she would have acted on her feelings back then, hoping that what came afterwards would never happen. But that wasn’t going to happen. Severus had warned her that her mistake would have consequences. And she had the feeling that she had just gotten a first taste of them.  
“Hi,” she greeted him back with a raspy voice. “How long was I out?”  
Fred, who was sitting next to his brother, smiled. "You've been playing Sleeping Beauty for the better part of the day. It's almost time for dinner, I think."  
She’d been out for several hours, mother of Merlin. What had Voldemort done to drain her like this? “And Severus?”  
Fred's mouth twitched. “He’s still out, but I don’t think it will be much longer, with you being up again. Seeing him sleep wasn’t half as satisfying though. That’s why we left that job to Malfoy. “  
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. He was joking, even now. How did he do that in a situation as dire as this one?  
“I need to see him,” she said, attempting to pull herself up from her bed. But as soon as she tried, she felt herself start getting dizzy again. She cursed and looked at Fred and George with desperation. “I did this to him. He finally thought he was free of Voldemort, only to realize that the man can drain his magic without him being able to do anything against it,” she explained, her voice pained. “This is not right. It’s not his fault I made this terrible mistake.”  
“We understand,” George assured her, getting up from his chair. “Do you want me to carry you to the living room? I’m sure he’ll want to see you as soon as he wakes up.”  
Hermione nodded, her heart flooded with gratefulness for him. “You’d do that?” she asked, causing the boys to smile.  
"For you, we'd do anything, love," Fred said and Hermione couldn't help but think that he sounded like he meant it.

Ssssssss

Severus would never get used to waking up after being drained empty. It was a feeling unlike any other, as it didn’t only make him feel tired and old, it also made him feel achy in a very strange sort of way. It probably best compared to a morning after he’d gotten himself thoroughly pissed only that there were potions for that kind of condition. If this unsettling trend of him playing human battery continued, he’d have to invent a potion for this condition, even though he still hoped that they’d find some sort of solution for the mess they had gotten themselves into. Because this wasn’t just Hermione’s fault. If he hadn’t been such an arrogant git, to begin with, the girl would probably still be safely at Hogwarts and Voldemort would be unaware that she was the Link in the first place.  
“Severus,” he heard Hermione whisper right next to him and when he opened his eyes, she was there, right at his side. She looked grim, tired, but he could not blame her as he himself felt like shit.  
“I’m so sorry,” she went on, her tiny voice accompanied by silent sniffles. No wonder, she was probably eaten up by guilt.  
“I’m alright, don’t worry,” he assured her and tried to smile but it probably came out more like a grimace as she threw herself at him with a sob. Would he ever get used to that kind of unfiltered affection from her - well, from anybody in fact? For years physical touch had meant nothing but pain for him, which had him avoiding it altogether. But now there was her, touching and hugging him like it was well… natural. And he could not deny that he secretly enjoyed when Hermione showed her affection in that way. Did that make him weak? Probably. To love someone, no matter in what way, always meant to be vulnerable in some way.  
He carefully caressed her hair with his fingers, fully aware of the looks the twins sent the two of them. Why was he suddenly worried about what they thought? He'd never given a flying fuck what the rest of the world thought about him after, well, after Lily. She and his mother had been the only people he ever cared about. Yes he had sworn to protect Harry but it had always been for Lily's sake as he could not find it in himself to love the boy. But now there was Hermione and he felt protective of her like he had of nobody else before. Holding her probably made him seem sentimental or weak, but for all it mattered, he could not find himself to care.  
He and Hermione held each other for several minutes and he could slowly feel his energy returning back to him. It wasn’t long before he finally felt able to get up again and he did so, after gently pushing the girl away.

“Alright,” he said, desperately wishing for a cup of coffee. “First of all the three of you are going to make some dinner while Hermione and I use the time to freshen up and take some potions. And then we’ll all sit down and talk. Understood?”  
The boys nodded, not a word of protest coming from them. Good. They all needed a full stomach for the next bit of conversation and he and Hermione needed something to replenish their energy reserves with.

It was almost an hour until they were all back in the kitchen, sitting at the enlarged table with some potatoes and sausages in front of them. Luckily he had shown Draco how to use the stove, otherwise, they'd probably eaten sandwiches again. He let them finish their meal first, as the news he had gotten were most unsettling. They would surely not help Hermione's appetite, but it was obvious that the girl finally needed to eat properly again.  
“Today there was an attack at the ministry,” he finally said, as he was sure his friend had eaten everything she planned to. As to underline his words he procured the Daily Prophet’s special edition from his robes and threw the newspaper on the table. He should have probably just told them what was in there, but he wanted them to read it on their own.  
He saw Hermione’s eyes ghost to the front page and a moment later he heard her gasp in shock. He did not have to read the article again, as it was one of his talents to easily memorize texts he had read before. And this one refused to leave his head again, no matter how much he wished to forget.

Cornelius Fudge Dead

Lord Voldemort named as new Minister of Magic

By Rita Skeeter

Here I am again my loyal readers. Yes, it’s me, Rita Skeeter, your favourite, well-informed journalist. And today I do have the most mind-blowing news for you. In a surprise move, Lord Voldemort finally showed himself to the wizarding world, conquering the Ministry of Magic like a hurricane. He did not leave any stone unturned while searching for his queen, former Hogwarts student and confirmed Open Link Hermione Granger, who had willingly linked her magic with his before she was abducted by so far unknown attackers.  
"We had just found each other," he told me in an exclusive interview, a longing glimmer in his forest-green eyes. "But I will go to any lengths to free her from those who have taken her against her will, the re-organization of the Ministry is just the first step.” He said passionately as he spoke of his vision for our world.  
Former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, unfortunately fell victim to an accident this morning. Witnesses reported him being hit by several pieces of rubble, falling down from the ceiling as it was hit by a stray curse cast by one of the ministry Aurors.  
Thankfully Lord Voldemort has agreed to take the lead over the country into his own capable hands. With a mighty sorcerer like him in charge we can finally feel safe and protected. "As soon as my queen is back at my side we will introduce you to the plans we have to reform this country." He assured me with a smile full of promises. “We intend to create a world that is safe for everybody to live in, a better world for Magical Britain. This is what we both are looking most forward to.” Our new Leader said passionately as he thought of our future, or maybe our Queen.

I don’t know about you my loyal readers but I for one can’t wait to finally see the new golden couple reunited, or should that be Royal couple. I am sure I am not the only one wishing our ruler luck in finding our Queen quickly. Hermione Granger, 16, is a well known muggleborn girl who has been at the top of her year consecutively. Many speak of her compassion and caring nature. Someone who values education highly. Surely someone like her would make a marvellous companion to our new leader. Perhaps one day I will be graced with an exclusive interview in the near future. A royal wedding would surely bring us all closer together. Who knows, maybe one day we may even be blessed with a royal heir.

Do not worry my readers I, Rita Skeeter, will do my best to bring you all the facts as soon as I can. This is certainly a new Era we are living in.

He watched Hermione while she was reading through the article, her eyes hastily scanning every word. With every moment that passed, she looked sicker and sicker and in the end, Severus thought, she might actually lose her dinner. Maybe letting her finish it first hadn't been a good idea at all?  
“That’s…” Fred Weasley started but seemed at a lack of words, which was a totally new thing. His brother sat next to him, looking shell-shocked as well. Hermione, on the other hand, skimmed the article one last time and he could see her pulling her Occlumency walls up as she did so. In the end, her face was an expressionless mask, all uneasiness and other emotions wiped from her features.  
“I’m going to kill that bitch,” she said calmly as if the article hadn’t fazed her but there was a certain gleam in her eyes that told them all she was not joking. Well, it wasn’t the first time Rita Skeeter had written about Hermione and she had never been shy to write as many lies about his friend as she could squeeze into an article of her’s. Still, he could not shake the feeling that there was some more history between the women, one that he wasn’t aware of. Where had the nasty reporter been during the last weeks anyway?  
He sighed. “Unfortunately this is not everything. Look at page 2,” he said, knowing what they would find there. He still had mixed feelings about that article.

The mysterious death of Albus Dumbledore

By Rita Skeeter

  
Yes, my friends, the famous Albus Dumbledore is dead. Not two hours after the sudden change of power in the ministry the Headmaster’s body was discovered in his office at Hogwarts. Experts from St. Mungo’s hospital stated that he had been killed by a so far unknown curse that had befallen his hand after he had tried a seemingly cursed ring of unknown origin.  
"This was a nasty curse," chief healer Anderson stated, a grim expression clouding his face. "Even if a healer would have been with him in time, he would have been beyond saving."  
The death of Albus Dumbledore is, without doubt, a tragedy, my dear readers, but there is no denying that his leadership has been a very controversial one. Only days ago there had been an official Ministry inquiry concerning the disappearance of Bellatrix Lestrange, who has been seen in the school’s Great Hall. She has last been seen accompanying the Headmaster to his chambers but has been found missing shortly after. This is only one of the many strange occurrences being reported during Dumbledore’s questionable leadership over Britain’s most treasured school. Who will take his position now, that the man has so suddenly passed away?

For a while, he saw the teenagers staring at the newspaper in disbelieving silence. Only Hermione did not show any outward reaction to the news, her eyes and face calm and incomprehensible. The twins, on the other hand, looked like they were about to bolt from the room any second, ready to duel Voldemort or go straight to Hogwarts, he wasn’t really sure which it was.  
“This can’t be,” George finally said, his voice full of disbelief. “Dumbledore can’t just be dead. That’s… I mean seriously? You think he’s stupid enough to just try on an old ring without checking it for curses? Not even we would be careless enough to do that. That doesn’t sound like him at all. This sounds like a cover up!”  
Severus had to agree. Albus Dumbledore had been a mastermind. Such carelessness didn’t sound like him at all. Had he been killed by Voldemort? Is that what the bastard used his and Hermione’s energy for? His head started hurting from all the possibilities and implications of these news. He wasn’t torn up about the man’s death after all, it was just an inconvenience now since they needed him for the war effort.  
"What are we going to do now?" Hermione's calm voice interrupted all of their thoughts. She was still staring detachedly at the newspaper on the table like she was trying to find a truth hidden between the lines. "If Dumbledore is really dead, then there is no one left who is strong enough to face Voldemort in a duel is there?”  
“I don’t think so.” Severus answered grimly. “Moody and Shacklebolt might be capable wizards but Dumbledore and Voldemort were in a league of their own. And considering the energy the man can pull through the Link with you Hermione…"  
He did not finish the sentence, as it was not necessary to. They got the meaning behind his words anyway. "We need to do something," Hermione said darkly. "There needs to be a way to sever that link, we can't let him have access to both of our magical cores."  
Severus nodded. “There might not be a way to break the Link between the two of you, but… You can break the Link you have to me anytime. All it requires is the two of us agreeing to sever the bond.”  
Hermione didn’t answer right away, but she slowly lifted her head, before her eyes calmly focussed on him. “Is this what you want?” she asked, her voice robbed of all emotion while her eyes were almost completely black from occluding. He didn’t need to see her emotions to know it was the last thing she wanted.  
He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as he did so. “No, but this is no longer about what we want. We need to find a way to at least weaken that man and this will most likely not be a comfortable one.”  
She nodded calmly. “I see. I assume the Link cannot be re-established later.” She said, her eyes never leaving his.  
Severus nodded. “It is unlikely you’ll be able to create any other links at this point. You’re no longer an Open Link Hermione but a closed one. Your magical core has stabilized itself, well, as much as it can be stabilized.”  
Hermione did not react to his words right away, as she probably had to contemplate them. It was a risky move, as the connection to him was probably what stabilized her emotionally right now. But what else was there to be done? Lord Voldemort with access to not one but two magical cores was an indestructible force that was able to conquer not only Britain but the whole world within weeks. The shields he could cast would be impenetrable, his attacks almost impossible to block… as much as it pained Severus, staying linked to Hermione would mean a speedy end to everybody opposing that bastard and afterwards it would only be a matter of time until he would find them, no matter where they tried to hide.  
“Couldn’t we combine our magical power to take him down?” she asked him calmly. “You’re a good duellist, you could at least try.”  
He looked at her with a pained expression on his face. "I could. Unfortunately, I do have the well-founded presumption that the man can not be killed.”  
To his surprise, she didn't even question him but simply nodded. "I know. He has made multiple Horcruxes,” she said, confirming this theory. “The snake is one of them and the diary Harry found and destroyed in our second year was another.”  
How did she know this? Had he told her? But that was impossible, as Voldemort was known to carefully guard his secrets  
“So he can not be killed,” Fred Weasley said, his voice grim. “Aren’t there any good news any of you feel like sharing with us?”  
Hermione shook her head, her eyes finally leaving his to calmly stare at the others. He could tell that her cool demeanour started to unsettle the twins, as they had probably never seen her like this. “Unfortunately not. As it appears we need to find those Horcruxes first before we'll be able to end him. I don't know how many there are, or even what most of them are. They could, in fact, be anything, item or living being. He could have even chosen a rock and tossed it into the Ocean."  
The boy’s eyes went wide. “Which means he can not be killed,” George summarized what none of them wanted to say out aloud.  
"That is how he sees it, yes," Hermione confirmed. "Of course this is not true, but killing him will at least be very difficult now." With that, she focussed her eyes back at Severus. "You are right, duelling him now would be suicide and I'm not watching you die again. We'll sever the bond then if this is what you think is best."  
He nodded, desperately wishing there was another way. But there did not seem to be one. “I do.”  
“Alright,” she said, slowly rising from her chair. “Let’s get this over with, then. I’ll be in my room.”  
Severus stared at her, as she turned around and left without another word. There was an uneasy feeling in his belly, that grew more and more intense as he watched her leave and he rose from his chair to follow her right away.  
“You heard her,” he said towards the boys, his voice imitating the cold bastard he had been in school. “We’re not to be disturbed.”  
The twins nodded, while Draco watched him with his eyebrow raised questioningly. But as he did not voice his thoughts, Severus chose to simply ignore him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Dumbledore is dead. I found it to be epic justice for him to be killed by that Horcrux and not be saved by Snape, as he had driven the man away. He dug his own grave in the end...


	9. Not Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my friends, here is another chapter for you. Writing is going slower these days, as this story has really gotten complicated towards the end and I am sometimes too tired to sit down with my computer, after a full day of work. I hope you are all fine, wherever you are. Stay safe and healthy, guys!

It was only a few seconds until Severus followed her into a room, making it impossible for her to even take a deep breath before she had to face him again. Severing the bond between them was the last thing she wanted, but her friend seemed to be convinced that there was no other way and unfortunately she was not having any information that was saying otherwise.   
Hermione sat down on her bed, as her feet felt too shaky for her to trust them to support her any longer. It took her whole willpower not to break down right now and she had the feeling that it wouldn’t get any easier.   
“Tell me what you think,” Severus said calmly, while he walked towards her with measured steps. “I can tell you’re holding back.”  
Of course, he had realized what she was doing. He was the one who taught her Occlumency after all. Still, she did not want to start crying in front of him, not again. Because slowly she got the feeling she didn't do much else than crying these days. Where was the strong Hermione Granger she had once been?  
She could understand Severus. Of course, the bond to her was something he no longer wanted, considering the circumstances. To try convincing him otherwise would be pure egoism.  
“Doesn’t matter,” she therefore said and gestured for him to sit down on her neatly made bed. “The sooner we cancel the bond, the less likely it is that Voldemort will do this to you again.”  
He sat down in front of her with a deep sigh. “That doesn’t mean your opinion doesn’t matter to me. I can tell you are not happy with this. So stop hiding behind those Occlumency walls and start talking to me.”   
Severus focussed her with his dark brown eyes and for a moment it felt like he was looking right into her soul. Of course, such a thing was impossible, even for someone linked to her. Still, his words had started to pull at her heartstrings and made her realize that she wanted to talk to him.  
Hermione sighed. “I hope there’d be another way,” she admitted. “I hate to cut this bond, to let you go, even though that probably sounds childish and totally egoistic. I just ... I feel like I can’t lose you again, you know? I used the link to bring you back just days ago. I can't lose you, Severus, not right now, not ever.”  
"You're not losing me, Hermione," he assured her softly. "The only thing you're losing is the access to my magical core, but apart from that nothing will change. I'll still be your friend Hermione, I'll still be there whenever you need me. My magic and my skill are still yours if you want it, as I’ll fight right at your side or have your back, whichever you prefer. I swear nothing will change, you hear me?"   
She nodded and slowly she felt her Occlumency shields waver. “It doesn’t feel like that. We’ve been linked before we even became friends and somehow…”  
Understanding gleamed in his eyes. "I'm not your friend because of the link Hermione. Yes, being linked to you gave me the chance to get to know you better, to understand you and vice versa I think. Or do you think you'll not want my friendship any longer when that link is gone?"  
Hermione caught herself sniffling. “Of course not, don’t be ridiculous!” she said and when he saw him looking at her with a soft smile, she could no longer hold back and pulled him into a hug. And to her surprise, he hugged her back without reserve.   
“See? This will not change anything. I’ll stay right at your side until you decide you no longer want me there,” he promised her softly. “Or until your twins want you for themselves.”   
She wanted to chuckle but somehow it came out as a sob. “I’ll always want you at my side, Severus. Fred and George will have to learn to accept that, but somehow I think they already have. They’re not Harry and Ron, you know?”  
“Thank Merlin for that," he said and from the sound of his voice, she thought he was smiling. “Can’t imagine you dating those two.”  
Hermione smiled against his chest and for a long moment, they sat in silence and enjoyed each other's presence. Finally, she felt ready to let go of him and so she slowly lowered her arm and pulled back from him.  
“Are you sure there is no other way? I'll be all alone with him then and that terrifies me. All the time I was with him I clung to our bond, it was the only thing that kept me sane. What if he catches me again? I'll have nothing then and there would no way for you to contact me."

Her friend nodded grimly. "I know. This is a big risk. I used our bond as the base of a spell that helped us track you as soon as you were outside those wards. This is how we found you in the end. With the link gone, I would not be able to do that again. But Hermione? If Voldemort finds you I will be right at your side, I swear it and there are only two ways such an encounter will go. Either we will be able to get away or kill him preferably, or he'll strike us down, one after the other. As long as I am alive he will not take you again and I am pretty sure your twins are equally determined to protect you. So if you fall into his hands again, neither of us will be alive any longer. And as soon as I am dead, our link will start to die, too.”

Hermione stared at him with wide eyes, but her head was too full of thoughts to put them into words. And therefore Severus continued: “I would never be able to pull the same trick twice. Getting you away from him the first time was hard enough. But still, now we know what we are dealing with. We can prepare for every eventuality if that makes you feel safer. Just tell us what it is you want, what you need and we'll do it. We could find another way to mark or track you if that makes you feel safer. Your twins are surprisingly skilled in designing illegal and personalized port keys, for example. We do not need that link to protect each other.” 

Hermione nodded. He really had put some thought in this. And he was right - there were other options for them. The five of them were possibly some of the most intelligent young minds the wizarding world had to offer. They would come up with something. “Alright. Thank you for talking some sense into me,” she mumbled, looking up at him with a sheepish smile.   
“Anytime,” he replied with a smile of his own. “Do you feel ready to do this now? Shall we cut that bond, together?”  
Hermione nodded. “Together.”

Ssssssss

Rita Skeeter was actually more useful than he had imagined. After his rough overtaking of the Ministry, she had done a nice job wrapping everything up into a nice story that did not have much to do with the truth. But people tended to believe her fictional articles, probably because they were much more interesting or in this case less unsettling than the actual truth. He had to admit: things had gotten a bit out of hand at the ministry, a fact his queen would probably condemn. This might make it even more difficult to convince her to finally give in to him and be his queen. 

And then there was the mysterious death of Dumbledore. He, of course, knew what had happened to the old, nosy fool. The man had managed to find one of his Horcruxes. Lord Voldemort was sure of it, as he had placed the curse on the ring himself and the descriptions of the man’s wounds had been very specific. It had been his curse that killed the man because there was no chance the old fool was still alive.   
Had the curse killed Dumbledore before he was able to destroy the soul piece that was hidden within the ring? Or had the old man in the end been successful in destroying it? He did not know, as the ring had mysteriously disappeared from Dumbledore’s body, that would be buried at the Hogwarts grounds tomorrow.   
As the new Minister of Magic, it was his right to attend the funeral but unfortunately, it was quite possible that he would still be unable to pass the castle's wards. Dumbledore had set some of them up for the very purpose of keeping him away from the castle. He doubted that McGonagall, the old grumpy cat who had taken over the leadership of the school, would welcome him with open arms.   
Well, if the new school year started and his lioness was not back at his side where she belonged, he would take down that damned school, as he could not let her return there. But with the whole Auror corps, or what remained of them, at his disposal, he was pretty confident he would have her back by the end of the month. The ministry had other ways of tracking a witch or wizard down and he would not be shy to order the Unspeakables to do just that for him. Finding her was his most important goal now because only now he realized that by making their connection official he had painted a large target on her back. And he did not put it past some of his enemies to kill his queen just to sever the link between them. He would never forgive himself if he lost her through his own stupidity. 

He needed to find her and fast. Because the feelings that had started seeping through the bond had grown more and more worrying. Wherever she was, whatever they did to her, his queen was suffering. He could feel her fear and distress growing with every moment that passed. Wasn't she supposed to be with her friends, her allies? So why were the torturing her? He could feel that she was in emotional pain and feeling that made him want to rip those fools apart.  
They were not allowed to touch her, to hurt her. She was his queen and therefore untouchable for everybody else but him.   
Salazar, he needed her back at his side or otherwise it was only a matter of time until his freshly regained sanity started slipping through his fingers again.

Sssssss

"I'm worried about dad," George said, staring at the newspaper article that was now lying in front of him on the coffee table. "He must have been at the Ministry when that attack happened."  
Fred, who was sitting shoulder to shoulder at his side, nodded gloomily. “I know. I wonder if he has gotten away, or…” He could not say it, but it was not necessary as they both knew what he could not bring himself to say.   
“Yeah,” George agreed, pulling his hair. “Gods, I wish we could finally do something. The world outside is going to the dogs and we’re just sitting here, unable to do anything.”  
From behind them, they heard Malfoy snort. “This can only come from a bloody Gryffindor,” he said in a mocking tone, causing Fred to jump to his feet. “Why do you think you can’t do anything? Because you’re in hiding? Really?”  
Fred stormed towards him and George was pretty sure he would punch the boy, just to relieve some of the tension that had taken hold of them. “What are we supposed to do in your opinion? Read a book?”  
Malfoy shrugged, totally unfazed by his brother’s behaviour. “For example. Have you tried researching Granger’s condition? Or duelling? You could even start making some of your products if you think they could be in any way helpful. There are lots of things you could do, so stop moping around.”  
George weighed his head. The snob did have a point, but none of those things really felt like the right thing at the moment. Duelling skills would not be enough to kill You-Know-Who, as the bastard had obviously found a way to make himself almost invincible. And what book could they read on Hermione’s condition, that Snape had not brought to the flat and therefore probably read already? They had not had the chance to bring anything with them to the flat.

Fred kind of thought the same, but at least Malfoy’s words had given him something to think about and therefore take his mind off the attack on the Ministry. If they could only find out what really happened or find a way to contact the other members of the Order. Now that the Prophet was obviously an even less reliable source than it was before, the wizarding people had even less of a chance to learn what really happened out there. That wasn’t right. Voldemort was dangerous enough without the media behind him. If he could now also decide what was proclaimed as the truth, then it would not take long for people to stop fighting and believing his lies. When this happened the war was as good as lost.

Fred rubbed his face with a tired sigh and suddenly he knew what he and George could do. If there was no reliable source of information, then they would have to make one. There had to be a way to reach everybody that was still resisting Voldemort and his followers. Maybe they could even activate some of the order members to search for those Horcruxes, whatever they were. 

His brother must have followed his train of thoughts, as he was suddenly at his side, his eyes gleaming with the drive to make a difference. Malfoy was right, only because they were in hiding did not mean they couldn’t do anything. The both of them had a very specific skill set and they were determined to put it to good use. 

Ssssssss

Severus was not prepared for the feeling of loss that hit him, as the link between him and Hermione broke. Somehow it wasn’t just the loss of her magic, like he had thought, that hit him like a bludger. It was as if their bodies had until now been connected in a very special way like their heartbeats had been in sync and now his own heart suddenly did not know his own rhythm any longer. But it was more than that. Unconsciously he had always been able to sense her feelings through the bond, to know if she was alright or needed him. Yes, he had been aware that he had felt when she was in distress, but now he suddenly realized that even under normal circumstances his mind had always sought out a reassurance that his friend was alright. Now he suddenly could no longer be sure of her wellbeing and he realized that he didn’t like that at all. Did she feel the same?   
Severus did not know and when she looked at her he realized, that she had pulled up her Occlumency shields again. It was impossible to tell what she thought or felt right now. And he realized that he hated that.  
“Hermione? Are you alright?" he, therefore, asked in a worried tone.   
“I’m fine,” she assured him, before pulling herself up from her bed. She wanted to leave the room, he realized, but letting her run away now would have been a grave mistake. She must have felt the loss as he had - it had probably hit her ever worse. Merlin, what had he done?   
With a quick move, he caught her hand, to prevent her from running away. Because he was almost sure that this was, what she had intended.  
“Are you?” he asked her, while he got up and took a step towards her. “Because I am not. I don’t like this,” he admitted and sought out her eyes. “I did not expect to feel this kind of loss, I had no idea,” he swore and it was the truth. Only now that he lost her he was getting aware of what they had just given up. 

Hermione nodded. “We’ll get used to this, we have to,” she murmured, her voice too calm for his liking. “But I don’t like this either.”

For a moment they stared at each other in silence. Then Severus suddenly followed an impulse and pulled her into his arms. He rarely was the one initiating a hug between them as it felt strange doing so, but suddenly he realized, that both of them needed some form of reassurance and hugging her was the first thing that came to his mind. He did not want to lose her but with growing panic, he realized that he had just done, what he promised himself to never do again. He had pushed her away like he had done it with Lily. Would he now also lose her, because he simply would not learn?   
“I’m right here,” he murmured into her hair, while he pressed her against his chest and slowly he felt her arms close around his waist, too. “You’re not alone Hermione, you hear me? Even if it might feel like this to you right now.” Why did his own words suddenly feel like a lie to him? He knew they were true, he meant them. So why did he suddenly feel alone?  
Hermione nodded mutely against his chest before she let go of him a moment later and he could feel his own heart clench in fear. He was a bloody fool. He had just done what he had warned her not to do. He had pushed her away, the only good thing that happened to him in his life since Lily.   
“I know,” she said her voice bare of emotion. “But I’ll need some time to get used to this new situation.”  
Hermione took a step back from him before she looked at the door. "Shall we go back to the others?" she asked and Severus nodded numbly. He probably wasn’t the right person to comfort her right now, as much as it pained him to admit it. He had messed this up, he realized.  
Still, she could not stay alone right now which meant that the twins would have to keep an eye on her. Luckily he was pretty sure that they would not mind, at all. Maybe they would be able to comfort her. He hoped they would. All the while he would lock himself into his room and look for a way to fix that mess. Because he could not lose Hermione again, the both of them needed each other. Why had it needed another one of his stupid mistakes to realize that?

Sssssssss


	10. What I need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains smut. If that’s not for you, then read the beginning and when things get too heated for you, skip to the next one. ;-)

Hermione felt horrible. No matter what Severus had promised her before, as soon as they broke the link connecting them, she felt her friend's presence slip through her fingers and even though he was still there, physically, she could feel his mental presence slip through her fingers like water.   
It was only a moment until she could no longer feel him and when she finally opened her eyes and let go of his hand, she felt nothing but hollowness inside and it hurt. No matter how much she raised her Occlumency shields, there was no running from that pain. It was there, right where her heart and probably also her magical core sat, torturing her with a burning pain that was almost too much to take. That was until she heard the silent whisper of magic inside her, reassuring her, promising her that he would come for her. And with growing horror she realized that it was him, trying to comfort her in that way through the bond. She could feel his magic slowly seeping into her body, her magical core, where it started to close the wound she and Severus had torn not even an hour ago. And to her growing dismay, she realized that the pain resonating through her slowly subdued, soothed by the magic of the man she despised most in this world. The wound that the severing of hers and Severus' link had caused was closed and she could feel her magical equilibrium slowly right itself as it got used to the new situation. I’ll protect you, the voice inside her whispered, making her shudder at the realization that she was able to hear his words in her head. Was he able to hear hers, too? 

Hermione tried to remain strong while she left her room and joined the others in the living room. Her twins were right at her side, pulling her unashamedly into their arms, sandwiching her between them on the sofa. They didn't talk much, Hermione didn't feel like it and altogether the atmosphere just seemed kind of melancholic. For a while, she saw Severus watching her with a worried expression but finally, he bid them goodnight and disappeared into his room. Malfoy followed his example shortly after and as soon as the boy left the room, she felt the twins pulling her even closer.  
“You alright, love?” George whispered before gently kissing her earlobe.   
Hermione shook her head. “Not really, no,” she admitted and leaned her head against his.   
Fred nodded like he had expected that sort of answer from her. "What can we do to make you feel better? What do you need from us?" he asked, seeking her out with his brown eyes. "Do you want us to leave you alone?" he asked and immediately she realized that being alone was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want to be alone with him. Just thinking about it made her shiver.  
Hermione shook her head in determination. “No, I… can I stay with you for the night? Could you hold me or…” she hesitated “make me forget all of this for a while. I don’t want to think about…” she helplessly gestured through the air, but her twins seemed to understand what she wanted to say. Fred nodded, a smile playing around his lips.   
“Of course you can stay,” he said and softly kissed the corner of her mouth. “There’s always a spot for you between us.”  
George nodded before he nuzzled her neck with his nose, causing goosebumps to spread all over the skin of her back. "And we're only too happy to make you forget this shit for a while. Freddie and I are experts in staging big distractions." He gently nicked the skin of her shoulder with his teeth, before he closed his arms around her from behind. Fred nodded in front of her before he pulled her into a kiss, that was full of promises. It felt glorious and Hermione felt that this was exactly what she needed. She did no longer want to feel this emptiness inside her, did no longer want to think. And so she answered his kiss hungrily while closing her arms around his neck and pulling him closer.  
“Then distract me,” she whispered before pulling Fred into another bruising kiss. But it wasn’t enough, she needed them closer, wanted more… Without knowing what she was doing her hands wandered towards Fred's chest and tried exploring the muscles hidden beneath his shirt enthusiastically. She felt Fred smile into her mouth before he mumbled: "We could go into our room, then I could take this off if you like." He winked at her and grinned.   
"No," Hermione said, before pulling him into a hungry kiss. "I will take this off of you," she promised with courage that she had never thought she possessed.   
She heard George behind her chuckle. “Sounds like a brilliant idea,” he said before he started kissing her neck, the stubble on his chin causing her to shiver. What other parts of her would he be interested in kissing, she asked herself, feeling a shiver of anticipation run through her body.   
“Let’s go,” she whispered and only a moment later Fred pulled her to her feet with an amused smile on his face.  
“Come on then, love,” he said, taking her hand with a sunny smile. George was on her other side only a moment after and took her other hand with a proud grin. Hermione followed them only too willingly into their room and as soon as the door closed behind them it was like it was suddenly easier for her to breathe.  
Fred and George led her to the bed and Hermione felt a flutter of anticipation in her belly. She knew what was below these shirts as she had seen the twins in their swimming trunks almost a year ago. Back then they had only been friends though, but even then she had appreciated the sight.  
The boys stopped in front of their bed, looking at her with wide, matching grins. "We're all yours," Fred said and his brother nodded before he continued. "You can take as many of our clothes off, as you like."  
Hermione looked at them with a raised eyebrow, before she stepped closer towards Fred and grabbed the hem of his T-Shirt. She carefully lifted it over his head and threw it on the floor, before she pulled him into a slow kiss. Then she stepped to George, who looked at her with a happy smile. She did not get the chance to undress him right away though, as he immediately pulled her into a kiss himself. His hands gently cupped her hips and he pulled her towards him until their bodies were pressed against each other. Only then she could feel his fingers slowly trailing upwards, touching the hem of her shirt like they were asking for permission to pass that border. Hermione slowly nodded into the kiss and she could feel the boy smile against her mouth, his fingers touching the skin of her back shortly after. She took that as an invitation to mirror his movements and it did not take long until her fingers stroked the skin on his back and sides. It felt glorious but at the same time, it wasn't nearly enough. In a bold move, she grabbed the hem of his shirt too and pulled the thing off, before pulling George into another kiss. He allowed it only too willingly.  
"Do you want us to take off your shirt too?" Fred murmured from behind before she could feel his hands on her hips. "Or would you rather simply enjoy the show?"  
For a moment it felt like her heart skipped a beat from excitement, as the possibilities ran through her head. But in the end, the urge to feel them closer to her won and she nodded with a smile. "Go ahead," she said. "It's only fair that we're even."  
She barely finished her sentence as Fred pulled her shirt up and over her head. And when she looked back at them again she realized that George was looking at her with a hungry expression in his eyes. A moment later he pulled her closed, made a step back so that both of them toppled onto the bed, Fred following them with an amused smile on his face. Lying on top of George she could feel his brother carefully lean over the both of them before he whispered into her ear: “Is this distracting enough, love?”   
She turned her head into his direction, kissed the corner of his mouth and said: “For now?”  
Hermione heard him chuckle from behind, only to get aware of his brother's hands that were gently grabbing her hips. This was distracting, she realized, just as she was pulled into another kiss. Things grew more and more heated from there, the three of them rolling around on the bed, kissing, touching and exploring all that skin that was now suddenly accessible to them. Hermione had always expected to feel shy in that sort of situation as her experience with boys was restricted to fully-clothed kissing and cuddling. And even though her body had lost some of its recently acquired curves due to her newly established, bad eating habits, she found that she did not worry about it in the least. This were Fred and George and they quite frankly didn’t seem to mind or complain about anything, quite the contrary actually. They seemed most fascinated with her curves and she found that she could not get enough of their muscles, as she first explored them with her hands and later traced them with her lips.  
“Gods Hermione, you’re killing me, love,” George moaned and looked at her with glowing eyes.   
"He means that in a good way," Fred assured her, kissing his way down her shoulder blades and sides. The only answer from her was a moan. She knew exactly what George meant. Those two were making her want things, she had never wanted before and with every minute that passed, she wanted them more. She wanted them to fill this emptiness inside her, to satisfy this hunger she was starting to feel. And Hermione suddenly found that she did not care if this was too soon or to forward, she wanted them, needed them even.   
Her hands just seemed to have waited for that kind of realization, as they suddenly trailed downwards, cupping the evident bulge in George’s trousers. He rewarded it with a moan, as did his twin behind her.   
Hermione turned her head and looked at Fred in confusion. “Can you feel that?” she asked and touched George again. Fred looked at her with burning eyes, before he pulled her into a desperate kiss.   
“I can feel what he feels, if we decide to open the twin bond,” be explained in between kisses, while his thumbs touched her breasts through the thin fabric of her bra. She moaned into his mouth.   
"It's quite a neat little trick we learned from a book we read a while ago," he continued, as his fingers touched her nipples in the most distracting way. "It makes relationships with the same person much easier, as it doesn't matter which one of us you touch. We can both feel it. In a way, we're like the same person, only with much more arms."  
“And mouths,” George added, gently biting her neck and by doing that coaxing another moan from her lips. It was muffled by Fred’s mouth, who was kissing her passionately again. It was almost too much and she would have been intimidated by any other two men, but this were Fred and George and she realized that she trusted them, implicitly.   
For a while, no other words were exchanged, as none of them had enough breath left for a conversation. Besides, there were much more important things to do, like for example ridding the boys of those trousers, which was annoyingly difficult. But Hermione wanted to explore more of their skin and those clothes were simply in the way.   
“Let us help you with this,” Fred chuckled and unbuckled his belt, as did his twin. Fred was right, some of their movements were totally in sync, which made them seem like the same person in two different bodies to an untrained eye. But Hermione knew they were not, as she could always tell them apart, no matter if her eyes were closed or open.   
Right now here eyes were open, watching Fred and George as they rid themselves of their trousers, looking at her with a matching grin on their faces. "Enjoying the show, love?" George asked, seeking her out with warm, brown eyes that didn't even show a hint of embarrassment.  
She did, which she admitted with a shy nod and a smile.   
"Good," Fred answered with a knowing grin, motioning towards her own pants. “Do you feel a bit overdressed now? Because if you do, I’d love to change that,” he admitted and stroked her arm with his hand.   
Again she nodded, as she suddenly found that her voice would no longer work properly. It didn’t matter as Fred already pulled her into another heated kiss, while George stripped of her pants. Suddenly they were both leaning over her, while she found herself lying on her back.   
“What do you want, Hermione?” Fred asked, searching her eyes for the answer.   
"We don't want to take this too far if that's not what you…" George continued, but he pulled him down into another heated kiss in the attempt to silence him. It worked, as he kissed her back without restraint.  
“You’re not going too far,” she assured him as they finally broke their kiss, both panting for air. “I want this, I want everything you’re willing to give me tonight.”  
“Everything?” George asked before he kissed her again. She nodded into the kiss and found him smile against her mouth. At the same time, she registered another mouth kissing his way downwards along her sides, before it came to rest over her hip bone. Hermione felt herself buckle with lust.   
“Get those boxers off,” she gasped and as the boys followed her instruction with glowing eyes, she hastily stripped naked in front of them herself. She saw their eyes darken as they realized what she was doing, which made her heart flutter with anticipation. They were going to do this, she realized, nervousness strangely absent, even though she had no idea what she was doing. She had read some books, of course, as her mum eagerly supplied her with them as soon as she hit puberty. But those were barely covering the basics of what was going where and when she looked at her twins she wasn’t even sure if things were going to fit. Merlin.   
Fred seemed to have read her thoughts, as he looked at her with a gentle smile and said: “Don’t worry your pretty little head about things that will happen much later today. We aren’t even close to doing that right now.”  
He covered her mouth with a slow kiss, tasting her with his tongue as he did. “First I want to taste you, all of you,” he said and immediately his mouth kissed his way down her neck to her breasts.   
"As do I," George whispered into her ear before he licked her earlobe. Hermione moaned with lust. A moment later she felt George move on the bed. His mouth reappeared a moment later on her thigh. Without thinking too much about it she spread her legs for him and was rewarded for it in the most breathtaking way, that soon made her hope those two had silenced their room. But a moment later she did not even care any longer, as she found herself repeating their names more and more loudly until she came undone with a loud moan.  
For a while, she just floated in a wave of bliss and when she became aware of her surroundings sometime later, she found herself sandwiched and held by her handsome boyfriends, who looked at her with a smug smile.  
“You’re beautiful,” George whispered into her ear and played with one of her curls.   
“Absolutely stunning,” Fred agreed into her other ear. “We could do this all night,” he continued and kissed her earlobe. “Or we could simply pull you into our arms and cuddle you until we’re asleep.”  
They were trying to give her a way out, in case she changed her mind, she realized. But that wasn’t at all what she wanted.   
"I'd rather feel you inside me," she mumbled and pulled George into a kiss. He nodded slowly before he hungrily deepened the kiss. Hermione encouraged him with her hands, letting them trail down his chest until they came to rest on his backside. This time it was he who moaned into her mouth.  
"Alright, love," Fred whispered next to her, before he snuggled against her side, his hands starting to stroke her body with clever fingers. And strangely she felt herself flooded with lust again wishing to finally feel Fred or George inside of her. Again they seemed to have read her thoughts as George suddenly moved between her legs and aligned himself at her entrance.   
Hermione looked into his eyes and saw the love that was written all over his face. It made her heart swell with happiness. She wasn’t alone, Hermione realized as she finally felt George enter her with a slow but deliberate move, while Fred held her and whispered words of love and adoration into her ear, that were more and more replaced by lustful moans. Merlin, this really was a tight fit, Hermione thought as she felt George stretch her more and more until it was finally done and he was buried inside her. For a moment he did not move and stared at her with a worried expression.  
“Are you alright, love? Did I hurt you?” he asked and Hermione found herself shaking her head with a gentle smile. Feeling him inside her now was worth the second of pain that already seemed as good as forgotten.  
“This feels perfect,” she said before pulling him into another kiss.   
She felt him smile against her mouth, only partly aware of his brother who had started kissing her shoulder and arm with growing hunger. But the next moment her whole focus was pulled downward when George started to move inside her. She could feel his fingers too, ghosting over the sensitive spot that was still swollen and sensitive from before and it wasn’t long until she could feel the lust inside her build up again.   
As another wave of lust and fulfilment hit her and Hermione her scream out their names she realized that there was no one else she wanted in her life and in her bed like that. Fred and George Weasley had conquered her heart and body like a storm and Hermione hoped that she would never again have to let go of them. No matter what she had to do, she wouldn’t let anybody take this from her, she swore herself, as her boys pulled her into their arms a while later. The three of them belonged to each other, she needed them, but instead of being terrified by that realization Hermione simply felt, like she suddenly had something to keep fighting for.


	11. I want you closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my friends. I hope you all had a good time reading the last chapter. I am just writing the last chapters of this story. There will only be a few more. We are almost done, guys. I can’t believe it! Thank you for sticking with me for so long. You are the best!

He should have never let her go, Lord Voldemort realized as the feelings of love and lust radiated through the Link with an intensity that robbed him of his breath. This wasn’t just lust he was feeling, this was ecstasy. And there was no one but him who was supposed to give his queen that sort of feeling. How was it possible that she let someone else touch her in that way, to possibly give up her virginity for someone lesser than him. This was not supposed to happen!

His fist connected with the wall of her room, leaving an imprint behind. But the pain he felt in his hand did nothing to make him feel better or at least distract him from those feelings. It was like a liquid fire was suddenly running through his veins making him feel a hunger and a restlessness that he had never before experienced. Only that his queen wasn't there to satisfy it, to satisfy him.

Before he realized what was happening a moan escaped his mouth and he had to use his good hand to support himself on her bed to not lose his balance. Then his eyes darted towards her empty mattress and the purple silky covers still lying crumpled on top of it. And suddenly his feet carried him towards it like they had developed a life of their own. It was only moments before he buried his nose into the soft material soaking in her scent that was still lingering in them. Right then another wave of ecstasy hit him like a bludger, wringing another moan from his lips that he hastily muffled with her pillow. This was too much, this was torture, he could not take this, he thought as his body started to wind itself on her bed desperate for the touch of his queen. But she was nowhere even close to him, his body longing for a touch that would not come. Seven hells, he needed to get her back he realized, as another scream of lust and rage was torn from his mouth before his hand could no longer hold back and started to touch his own body with trembling fingers. He pictured her beneath him as he touched her and entered her delectable little body. Her moaning loudly as he pleasured her like no man ever would. It was the most humiliating experience as he found his release only moments later, stickiness coating his hands and the covers of her bed. He hastily vanished the mess with his wand, healing his injured hand a moment later, disgusted at himself and his weakness. He was Lord Voldemort, the new Minister of Magic and ruler of magical Britain not some common randy teenage boy! Merlin, he had to get his queen back and soon, otherwise, it was only a matter of time until his recently gained control started to slip again. One thing was certain though. He would slaughter whoever had touched her and taken what was rightfully his. Death would be seen as a mercy by the time he was done.

Sssssssss

When Fred awoke the next morning, he found a blissfully naked and sleepy girlfriend in his arms, snuggling against him and his brother with a relaxed and sorrowless face. The last night was as if one of Fred’d erotic dreams had suddenly come true but now in the light of the morning he could not help but ask himself if Hermione would regret her decisions from the previous evening as soon as she awoke and remembered what they had done. He fervently hoped she wouldn't as this would otherwise make him feel like they had taken advantage of her in a weak moment. Had they? Merlin, he hoped not. Yesterday Fred and George had been sure that this was what she wanted and as Hermione never shied back or seemed overly shy they had not hesitated to give her what she wanted. They had wanted to sleep with her more than anything themselves.   
Merlin, one day they would have to thank Sirius for that book on magical twins and partnerships, as this had opened a whole new world of possibilities for them. Even as Fred hadn't been the one sleeping with their girl last night it had felt amazing and in the end, he was as satisfied as his twin had been. Still, he could not wait to bring her lust himself in that way.  
With a sigh, he gently pulled her closer, but the movement was still enough to wake her. Her naked body shifted against his in the most tempting way, letting him grow excited all over again. It was only shortly after that Hermione blinked her eyes open and looked at him with a happy, sleepy smile.  
“G' morning,” she mumbled and Fred couldn’t help himself but greet her with a slow kiss. She was so cute when she was still sleepy like this.  
“Morning sunshine,” he whispered, bestowing a little kiss on her nose. “Did you sleep well?”   
She nodded with a smile. “I did. You?”  
“Couldn’t have slept any better, which probably has to do quite a lot with you, my pretty, sexy girlfriend,” he answered and then kissed her lazily on her soft lips. But as soon as he ended the kiss the doubts from before started to creep up on him again. “Are you alright? Do you feel sore or…”   
She answered him with another kiss, smiled and said: "Last night was perfect, Fred. Yes, I'm a little sore but this is to be expected as this was the first time for me. It's nothing time won't fix, so don't worry."  
Fred smiled before he turned around and extracted a little phial from his nightstand. He offered it to her with an encouraging smile on his face. "Your friend Severus isn't the only one with a talent for potions," he said as she took it from him with a questioning gaze. "It's a mild healing potion, which should easily rid you of any discomfort you might feel right now. You don't have to take it, of course, but…"  
Hermione did not wait for him to continue as she drowned the liquid in three big gulps. "It works," she said, the smile on her face widening. "Thank you, Fred."  
He pulled her close with a happy smile on his face. “Anything for my beautiful girlfriend,” he whispered and kissed her forehead.   
"Our beautiful girlfriend," George corrected from behind Hermione and snuggled closer. Hermione smiled at him, carefully turned around and greeted him with a slow kiss. Fred watched the two of them with a soft smile on his face, took the empty phial out of Hermione's hand and placed it on the nightstand.  
"Do you already feel like getting up?" he asked after Hermione had turned on her back and stared at them with uncertainty, that he had not expected to see this morning.  
She hastily shook her head. “No, the last perfect morning with you was interrupted by bad news and I’ve got the feeling today will be the same. I’d rather stay here and pretend the world outside doesn’t exist. Sounds stupid, doesn’t it?”  
Fred looked at her with an understanding smile. "Sounds perfect," Fred corrected her before he pulled her into a lingering kiss. "And I already have some brilliant ideas on how we can pass the time."  
Hermione smiled against his lips: “I bet you have.”

Ssssssss

Severus noted that it was almost noon, when Hermione exited the twin’s bedroom, looking miles better than he felt. The twins were right at her side, evoking the feeling of Deja vús in him, as he saw the three of them together like this. It was obvious that things were going well between them and even though he wasn’t jealous, the fear of no longer being needed or wanted clawed inside him like a raging beast. It took all his willpower not to let it show and remain calm as they ate their lunch together, Hermione talking to him with a neutral expression on her face but without the warmth in her eyes, that used to be there for him. Merlin, was history repeating itself again? Had he managed to destroy this friendship, too? He hoped not, because that would have been more than he could take. No, he couldn’t let it come to this, he wouldn’t. The girl meant too much for losing her to a stupid mistake.   
“Do you have a minute?” he asked her as soon as they finished their meal. She looked at him with a calm expression and nodded slowly. “Of course.”  
Without making a fuss the twins excused himself to their room, happily chatting about some project they were planning to start working on. He only hoped they wouldn’t blow up their flat by accident. Merlin, as soon as he was finished talking to Hermione he would ward their room as well, considering their knack for potentially dangerous experiments he should have done so right in the beginning. Merlin! Dying had made a moron out of him.   
It was the first time Hermione entered his new quarters, but he made the deliberate move of inviting her into his space. He wanted her to realize that he still cared about her, even though she was no longer able to tell through the bond. Hermione entered them without hesitation and he could see a curious look creeping into her eyes, as she realized that he had expanded the room and added a full library and a potions lab to them.   
“That’s an impressive application of the extension charm,” she said, looking at him with admiration.  
He looked at her with a smile, motioning to the two armchairs he had positioned in front of the large window, that offered a marvellous view over the city of London. “I could help you to do the same for your rooms, or teach you to do it yourself,” he offered, hoping she would take the chance and spend some more time with him.   
Hermione sat down on one of the armchairs and nodded. “I’d love that,” she said without specifying which of his offers she was referring to. But he guessed right now it didn’t matter.   
Severus sat down in the other armchair and looked at her with a smile. "How are you, Hermione?" he asked and after a moment of hesitation, he gently took her hand into his. It took him all his courage to initiate this form of contact, as he could not help but be afraid of her pushing him away like his mother had done in his childhood countless times. Hermione wasn't his mother though and she accepted his hand with a gentle smile on her lips.  
“I miss you,” she admitted shyly. “I know you’re still here, but I still feel somehow empty inside and that feeling is hard to bear.”  
Severus nodded, relieved that she was willing to still open up to him. This wasn’t going to be another Lily-experience he realized, as Hermione did not simply push him out of her life as soon as he made a mistake. Apart from that a part of him still felt that breaking their link had been the right, albeit hard choice.   
“I feel it too,” he admitted, staring at their linked hands. “And it scares me. It scares me not to know if you’re well, while another unemotional part of my brain sneers that I got myself attached to another human being again.” It was the truth and it took him all his willpower to admit this weakness in front of her. Hermione did not laugh at him though, just held his hand a little tighter.   
“I won’t hurt you,” she promised and looked at him with a serious expression. “Or at least I’ll try very hard not to.”  
They stared at each other in silence for a while and Severus allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of her hand in his. It gave him the assurance that Hermione was not lost to him, no matter what the small voice in the back of his head whispered.   
“Is there anything I can do for you, Hermione?” he finally asked and let go of her hand. “I’ve started inventing a restorative potion that will hopefully help you after your energy was drained, but I’m sure there is more I can help you with.”  
Hermione nodded with a considerate look on her face. “Yesterday I heard him speaking in my head,” she told him hesitantly. “I wasn’t even sure that was possible until now. I hate that he can probably feel what I am feeling and I’m terrified of him sending thoughts or feelings to me. I’ve seen what it does to Harry… Do you think there is a way of at least dampening that? Maybe through a potion or Occlumency?” Even though her voice stayed calm he could still hear the desperate undertone in it.   
He rubbed his chin as he considered her request. “As I was able to brew a potion to open our link for a conversation, there might be a way to shield your mind from him. But that would only be a temporary solution. If you really want to do this, we’ll have to work on your Occlumency skills Hermione and I’m afraid that won’t be pleasant. Are you sure you want me to train you in that way?”  
His friend nodded with a determined expression on her face. “I trust you, you know I do.”  
He looked at her with a grim expression. “Even if I’ll have to hurt you or I’ll have to use brute-force Legilimency to strengthen your shields? This might take us weeks or even months and I'd hate to lose you because you can no longer stand being in the same room as me."  
“Never,” she promised, got up from her seat, kneeled down in front of him and took his hands into hers. “We can always stop when it is getting too much for me. But I need to try to get away from him as far as I can, can you understand that?”  
Of course, he could. He had considered cutting his arm off and regrowing it to get away from his old master. The desperation she was feeling was only too familiar to him. "I understand and I'll help you if this is what you really want. But I'll need some days to prepare for this if that is alright with you."  
She nodded, a relieved smile on her lips. “Thank you, Severus. You don’t know what that means to me.”  
He looked at her with a sad smile. Merlin, he did not want to do this. The little voice in his head warned him not to, as it would possibly drive his only friend away. But he had promised he would help her and he would, trusting her words that this would not drive her away. Still, he’d follow the idea that came to him yesterday first and if things went well, he would even find a way to restore part of their old link.

Ssssssss

When Hermione left Severus’ room the twins had retreated into their room but just when she considered joining them she saw that Malfoy was waiting for her in the living room. As soon as she stepped into the room he put his book aside and focussed her with a strange look in his pale, grew eyes. A while ago he would at least have unsettled her when he suddenly got up and walked towards her with slow steps. But today she wasn't the person she had been a year ago and so she simply looked at him with an inclined head and waited.  
“I’d like to talk to you Granger, in private,” he said calmly and motioned his head towards his room. “I’d rather avoid the common rooms, as it will call unwanted attention when I ward them and I’d rather not get disturbed in this conversation.”  
Hermione nodded with furrowed brows. What was this all about? Well, she guessed she would find out when she agreed to follow him and as Severus said he trusted the boy, there was no reason for her to worry, right?  
“Alright, let’s go to your room then,” she agreed with a nod and followed him through his door, that he carefully warded with spells she had never read about before. Who would have guessed that the boy was interested in warding?   
As soon as he was finished, he invited her to sit down on one of the cushioned chairs that stood in front of a small table, which was laden with several books. He sat down right next to her and motioned towards the book that was on top of a rather large pile in the middle.   
“I wanted to talk to you about a possible solution for your problem,” he said calmly and focussed her with a serious expression on his face. “I might have a way to bring Voldemort down, that is if you are willing to go that path.”  
Hermione looked at him with a sceptical expression. “You do? But why do you want to talk to me about it alone? I’m sure the others would love to hear about that possible solution.”  
Malfoy shook his head. “I wouldn’t be so sure. What I am proposing is nothing a friend would ever propose to you. But we are not friends, Granger, we’re allies and we both want to bring that bastard down. That is why I am telling you this in secret and it is for you to decide what you’re going to do with that information.”  
Hermione nodded, focussing the boy with her caramel brown eyes. “Alright, tell me about this solution,” she said, waiting for the boy to start his explanation. If there was really a way to stop Voldemort, she had to know about it. Because considering the situation the world currently found itself in, there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do to bring that maniac down.


	12. The lioness and the snake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody. My writing has slowed down again. But don’t worry, there will still be regular updates here. I just don’t know what will come after this story, as I do have a few ideas but nothing really makes me super excited. I feel like I will have nothing to write after this story, which makes me not want to finish this one (if that makes any sense to you). But I will, don’t worry.

George and Fred had spent the better part of the day in their room, tossing ideas around about some sort of safe communication that was able to reach the masses. In the end, they had decided, that some sort of radio device would serve their purpose best, as newspapers always left evidence for the other side, which they rather wanted to avoid. So far so good. Now they would have to find suitable equipment and considering they were currently in hiding this wouldn't be an easy task. They would probably have to talk their plans through with Snape and hope that he would approve of their idea before they could leave the flat and start their work. But first, they needed to foolproof their plan, otherwise, the man would simply sneer at them before showing them all the things that would endanger their and therefore everybody's security. This meant that they would for once have to behave like Slytherins and plan things properly instead of rushing into action headfirst. But now they did not only have their own safety to consider, but Hermione's too. 

As the day progressed, George could not help but think that something was wrong. During the day they had not seen much of Hermione but that wasn’t unusual, as she had also mainly stayed in her room the other days. But also during dinner she seemed somehow distracted, her eyes staring unseeingly into space while she ate her food without much enthusiasm. That, too, wasn’t anything new as Hermione had somehow lost her appetite during her time with the obsessive maniac that had kept her prisoner.   
Still, it almost seemed like she was brooding over something, as she didn’t even react as Fred tried to talk to her and looking back at their shared last night that wasn’t a behaviour he had expected from her at all. 

Finally, it was time to go to bed and to George's relief, Hermione followed them into their room without them needing to invite her there. As soon as the door closed behind them it was like a switch was flipped in her head. Hermione's whole demeanour seemed to change and it wasn't long until she pulled the two of them in a passionate kiss, that made him forget his worries for now. Instead, he concentrated on showing his girl how much he loved and wanted her, meeting each and every one of her kisses with equal passion and enthusiasm. Soon the three found each other on the huge bed and George no longer found himself able to think about anything else than the woman in his arms. Right now her skin and her lips were the most important thing to him, everything else would have to wait until tomorrow. 

Ssssssss

Slowly he was starting to see things more clearly again. After another day of confused feelings seeping through the bond, Lord Voldemort was sure that someone was playing an evil game with his queen. The first thing after she had been taken from him was the feeling of despair, then hate and then later lust and even love. Today he had mostly felt confusion and helplessness, paired with something that felt like deep sadness. It cemented his conviction that whoever had her was playing an evil game with her. He had used similar tactics with his enemies before, giving them hope before destroying it all again only to begin the cycle anew. The most logical conclusion was that she was with the Order of Phoenix and that those morons tried to break the bond that connected them with various strategies. One of them must have been to seduce her but by now they must have realized that that did not help them to create a new bond with the Open Link. There would be no new Links for his Queen, as connecting herself to him had stabilized her magical core enough. What would they do to her when they realized that the connection to him could not be broken?

Once more he sent feelings of reassurance and acceptance through the bond, but soon he realized that they were either not received or did not have any effect on his queen's moral. Probably it was time to send a stronger signal, one that would tell her unmistakably that he would mercilessly punish all their enemies and do anything to get her back.   
For a while, his eyes restlessly roamed the throne room as he considered and discarded several ideas. Finally, they came to rest on the two glass jars he had fastened on the ceiling, right in front of him. Here he could always have an eye on them, especially on the little beetle that had proved to be quite useful when it came to playing the media. It looked like Rita Skeeter would soon have to write another article for him, one that did not miss its effect on his queen and his enemies alike.  
Lord Voldemort would make a statement and as his eyes trained to the other glass jar containing an ugly toad with a pink bow he knew who would help him to do it. His lioness had always wanted to reform that worthless woman, but instead of taking her lessons to heart Dolores Umbridge had used the first chance to crawl back to her beloved Cornelius, that worthless piece of shit. Watching the man die with her own eyes had probably already started to drive the message home, but now Lord Voldemort realized that it hadn’t nearly been enough.   
A wink of his wand had the glass jar vanish, causing the ugly creature to tumble towards the ground. He magically caught it at the last moment and transfigured her back into her original appearance, which wasn’t much of an improvement to the form his queen had chosen for her. Dolores Umbridge wasn’t even remotely recognizable as the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts any longer, her perfectly styled hair limply hanging from her head, the light of her dark eyes almost broken. It was replaced by terror which was an expression he had come to appreciate over the years.  
“Well Dolores, it appears I’ll be in need of your services today. You see, I am in need to send an important message for my queen and I need you to deliver it for me. Can you do this?”  
The woman nodded, as she probably found herself at a lack of speech in his presence. It was only well as the woman’s high, girly voice gave him headaches anyway.  
“Very good,” he said. Looking at her with a gleeful smile. Then he transfigured a table and a chair for her before he levitated a sheet of parchment towards her.   
She sat down with a hesitant expression on her face, staring at the empty parchment in front of her full of weariness. “What am I supposed to write with?” she finally asked, causing Lord Voldemort to break out in an amused smile.   
“Oh I think you know the answer to that question,” he said, procuring a modified blood quill from his robes and levitating it towards her. “What else would you be writing with than your trademark writing utensil?”  
He looked at the woman with a cold expression in his eyes, before he told her what to write. And when the first lines started to appear on her white skin a satisfied smile appeared on his face. Finally, the ugly woman would be useful to him once, even if it was the last thing she did in her pitiful existence.

Ssssssss

As soon as Dobby, the house-elf arrived with the newspaper Severus saw the look on his face and knew something was wrong. It had been a brilliant move to hire the little fellow before he left Hogwarts, as all of Dobby's loyalty had been with him and Hermione from there on, giving them the possibility to stay connected to the outside world without needing to fear being found. But today something was wrong, as the little elf barely wanted to meet his eyes when he handed him the newspaper. Severus looked at him with a resigned expression.  
“Bad news?” he asked and Doddy nodded sadly, his big ears flopping up and down.   
“Miss Hermione will not like this,” he said, his high voice heavy with sorrow.   
Severus nodded, before staring at the gruesome picture that filled the front page of the Daily Prophet. No one deserved to be tortured to death like that, not even Dolores Umbridge. Voldemort had used her to send a message, as she had words written all over her body, that had been found unclothed in front of the castle.   
The message was clear: I will come for you, it said. And there was no question whom it was directed at. Dobby was right, Hermione would not like this. But once more it looked like he was destined to be the bearer of bad news. 

The atmosphere during breakfast was a strange one. Today Hermione and her twins were up already and the girl had even made breakfast for the lot of them. She was quite a talented cook, which wasn’t a surprise as she had a talent for potions as well.   
Still, she barely seemed to be aware of her boyfriends right now, her eyes clouded with thoughts as she detachedly ate her omelette. The twins seemed to be aware of her strange behaviour, too as George kept throwing her worried looks while Fred tried to cheer her up with several jokes, she barely reacted to. Something was wrong with the girl and once more Severus cursed himself for breaking the link to her, as it would probably have helped him to understand what was wrong with her. But as it was he was condemned to guess right now.   
Again, he decided to wait until the meal was over. Yes, there was the risk of Hermione losing her meal over the newspaper article, but if she read it first, she would not have eaten, to begin with. This way there was at least the chance for her body to get some nourishment.   
Finally, there was no reason for him to keep the news to himself any longer and so he extracted the newspaper without any comment from his robes and placed it in the middle of the table. The boys focussed on the newspaper article right away, but Hermione first looked at him for a long moment and he saw her pulling her Occlumency shields up before she followed the boy's example.  
"That sick bastard!" Fred exclaimed only a moment after, leaping from his chair and pacing the room. His brother cursed, shook his head and started re-reading the article. Draco interestingly did not show any outward reaction. The boy had seen enough violence during his last summer holidays when Voldemort resided at his parent's home. He only stared at the paper with a stoical expression on his face for a moment, before his eyes darted to Hermione. He watched her with a calm expression, but somehow it seemed like he was waiting for something. But whatever it was, it was not coming, as Hermione did not react at all. The girl seemed frozen in place, only her eyes moving as she re-read the lines over and over again. After the probably tenth time, she suddenly got up and left the room with a stony expression on her face, the door of her room falling close behind her a moment later. The sound seemed to shake the twins out of their agitation, as they stared at the door with wide eyes a moment after, concern painted over both of their faces.  
“We’ll follow her,” Fred said and dashed for the door only to realize that it was locked a moment later. He helplessly stared at his twin.   
Severus sighed. “Leave her alone for now,” he said, even though all of him rebelled against the thought of leaving the girl unsupervised. He’d ask Dobby to discreetly watch her, while she was in there. Not that he expected her doing something stupid, but with her being an impulsive Gryffindor one could never know. 

Ssssssss

Draco watched Granger’s closed door for a while and considered his options. She had reacted better to his proposal than expected and he could see that she was considering it yesterday, as the day went on. Today's article would probably give her the push in the right direction. He could tell that she was feeling guilty over what had happened to Umbridge. He had despised the woman and he was pretty sure Granger didn't have much love for the toad herself, but she did have a kind heart that would still make her feel bad for what had happened. Voldemort had definitely shown his obsession for the girl once more. Maybe he even thought that the Gryffindor would see his actions as a sign of hope or even love, heaven forbid. By what Severus told him the man was farther away from reality as the days went on. The thought of the man’s obsessive behaviour was enough to even unsettle him, it must be ten times worse for her. But maybe that was what she needed to finally be shaken out of her passivity. 

It was nearing noon when he finally decided to knock on that damned door. "Open the door Granger," he said calmly, being aware that his godfather watched him with observant eyes. For a moment there was no reaction from inside, but finally, the door opened and he stepped inside her room without looking back at Severus, who was still brooding in the living room. The petite Gryffindor waited for him next to the door, her eyes swollen from the tears she had probably shed over that horrible woman. He sighed.  
“You know this is not your fault,” he said in an attempt to comfort her. She looked up at him with sad, brown eyes.   
“I know. But this has to stop,” she said, wringing her hands. “People are dying because of that man and even though this might not be my fault, it seems like I can end this. But…”  
“I know,” he said, looking at her with a grim expression.   
They stared at each other for a while, her eyes haunted because of the decision she had to make. He felt pity for her. Slytherin that he was he would have never even considered such a sacrifice himself. He was glad that he wasn’t the one having to make that decision.   
Finally, Granger's demeanour changed and she looked at him with something like grim determination. „I'll do it,“ she said and squared her shoulders. “It’s the right thing to do, even though the others might not understand.”  
Draco nodded, relief and nervousness flooding him at the same time. If this worked it could bring the Dark Lord to his knees. But Merlin, Severus would choke him with his bare hands when he learned what he had suggested to her.

Ssssssss

Severus waited for a few minutes after he saw his godson enter Hermione’s room. As it was apparent that the boy would not come back out right away he decided to use the chance to finalize the project he had been working on ever since his link to Hermione had been broken. Draco would keep an eye on her and it was probably a good thing the two of them were spending some time with each other, as the boy needed someone to talk to as much as Hermione did. Who would have thought that the Slytherin and the Gryffindor would ever choose to spend time with each other, without one of them storming off a few minutes later? He guessed such a war could bring out the worst as well as the best in people and for both of them it had been the latter.  
With a sigh, he looked at the two pendants resting on his nightstands. He had chosen the symbols of each of their houses to represent their different personalities. The design was totally sentimental, but he still hoped Hermione would appreciate it and accept his gift. There were only a few enhancements missing before everything was finished and if Hermione chose to wear her pendant, they would again be able to feel each other and even be able to communicate over large distances if the necessity arose. And if one of them wanted some privacy the pendants could always be taken off. They wouldn't be able to replace their old link, as they would not be able to help each other magically, but considering the circumstances that was a good thing. Severus could be there for his friend and support her, without handing over his magical power to a madman which to him sounded like the perfect solution. Now he only needed to convince Hermione of that idea and to make her accept his gift. He guessed he could only hope that she needed him as much as he needed her.


	13. Hermione’s sacrifice

“We need to talk,” Hermione said, focussing the three of them with a serious expression. She barely touched her lunch and kept staring at the twins and him with a worried expression on her face, which told Severus that there was something on her mind. He had decided to ask her as soon as the meal was over, but he never got the chance to.   
“Of course,” he said, smiling encouragingly at his friend. It was obvious that something lasted heavily on her mind and it was good if she got it off her chest without them having to pressure her to open up.   
The twins, who sat on each of her sides, nodded and Hermione took that as a sign, took a deep breath and said: "We need to bring Voldemort down and fast and I've been looking for a way to do it. I've got the feeling we need to do something fast, otherwise, more people will start dying. And I can't watch this, I can't!"  
Severus nodded. That was understandable. Things were about to get ugly. It was only natural that Hermione was looking for a way to prevent that. "I know," he said and looked at his friend. "It is hard to watch, but as long as we have not found and destroyed his Horcruxes we will not be able to kill him, Hermione. And right now we don't even know how many Horcruxes there are, to begin with."  
Hermione nodded grimly. “It doesn’t matter,” she said, her expression turning sad. “We can’t destroy all the Horcruxes, as I am pretty sure Harry is one of them. The Draught of Insight revealed to him that there was a piece of Voldemort’s soul inside him. I studied everything I could find on that matter, but being a Horcrux is the only explanation I found for this.”  
Severus sighed. Harry was the part of the equation he refused to think about. Hermione was right, he had long ago suspected that Harry indeed was a Horcrux.   
“This can’t be!” George protested, his voice shocked. "Think about it, Hermione. Why would Voldemort make him a Horcrux? And when? The only time You-Know-Who met Harry before Hogwarts was when Harry was still a baby and that was the night the man vanished. And I don't think that's how a Horcrux is created…"  
Severus tiredly rubbed his forehead. “But Hermione is right, Harry being a Horcrux is really the only thing that could explain what happened to him. He is able to sense Voldemort’s emotions and even see what the man is doing from time to time. This isn’t a coincidence.”  
Fred groaned in frustration. “So what if Harry is a Horcrux? We can’t simply kill him! Are you trying to tell me this meant we cannot kill You-Know-Who either?”  
Severus weighed his head. “I do not have the answer to this, I am afraid. There might be a way to remove a soul piece from its vessel, but it can probably only be done by the owner of the soul piece himself.”  
"In short: either we kill Harry or the bastard lives," George said darkly. "Is that what you are trying to say? This would mean this war is lost for our side because I am not murdering a friend!" The boy rose to his feet and started to pace the room in agitation.  
Hermione followed him with her eyes, a sad look on her face.   
“There is a way of ending all this, of bringing Voldemort down. We can’t let him go on like this. Professor Umbridge was just the first victim in line, but we all know she won’t be the last one and I… I can’t watch this, not when I know there’s a way of ending it.”  
Fred and George nodded, their eyes full of understanding. Severus didn’t like the undertone of her voice though, as it sounded too much like she was trying to convince them of something.   
“If there’s a way of ending him, then let’s do it,” Fred exclaimed and looked at her self-assuredly.   
At that, Hermione's expression turned wary. "It's not that easy Fred, because this solution comes with a price and I'm pretty sure you won't like it."  
“Try me,” the boy answered, a stubborn glint in his eyes, but Hermione shook her head with a sigh.   
“We do not necessarily have to kill him for this world to be safe,” she said calmly. “Think about it. Even if we managed to destroy those Horcruxes, who would be there powerful enough to end him? Apart from that, it feels wrong to task someone to murder a person, no matter how evil. Think about it. I don't want to kill boys, I am not a murderer and I don't think you are."  
Severus looked at her with a solemn expression and nodded. She was right.   
“What else would you do if not kill him?” Fred asked, staring at his girlfriend with a raised brow. “Because I can tell you that there won’t be a prison secure enough to hold him. He’d be out of Azkaban before you can say Horcrux.”  
Hermione sighed. “What if there was a way to rob him of his magic?” she asked, staring at the redhead with a raised chin. Fred and his brother looked back at her with a regretful look on their faces.  
“We and Malfoy talked about this,” he said. “You could maybe drain him a few times, but as soon as he realizes you’re doing it on purpose, he’d squeeze you empty like an orange, over and over again.”  
“Not if there is no magical energy for him to find any longer,” she said and suddenly the realization hit Severus, like a slap in the face. No, she couldn’t honestly consider doing that to herself.  
"What are you saying?" George asked her confusedly before Severus could even bring himself to utter a word. "Of course there would be magic in you to find him. You are a witch, Hermione."  
Hermione’s expression turned sad. “And I am the Open Link, yes. As it appears I am connected to that man as long as both of us are alive and as we just realized, he can not be killed easily. So where does that leave me?"  
The twins looked at her with a sad expression, but neither of them seemed to want to answer her question. Severus did not feel like answering it either, as he had the feeling where this was going. And he did not like it one bit.   
His friend turned her eyes to him: "I have spoken with Draco. He told me there is a curse that can permanently drain somebody's energy. If it was cast on me, it would not only drain my magical energy but his too. The Link would force him to permanently try refilling my magical core, no matter how hard he tried to resist, right?"  
Severus closed his eyes in despair before he opened them again and looked at his godson with a calculating expression. "Did Draco by any chance tell you that the curse he so conveniently mentioned is an Unforgivable Curse, Hermione? It is the one that is not talked about because this sort of thing is simply not done these days. Cursing somebody with magical drain was a practice forbidden during the middle ages. Not even Voldemort himself used the spell, as robbing a person of its magic is seen as worse as torture itself, it’s barbaric.”   
Fred looked at her with wide, shocked eyes. “Are you trying to tell us, you’d render yourself a Squib, Hermione? Because this is how that sounds to me. You would have to give up your magic.”  
The girl nodded, a sad look in her eyes. “I know. But it would work, wouldn’t it? This way we could stop him.”  
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. Yes, it would work. Lord Voldemort was nothing without his magic. It wouldn't be long until his followers started leaving him as most of them were only bound to him by fear these days or by the hope to get the biggest piece of the cake. Yes, there was Bellatrix and maybe a few others, but without their master to protect them, they could be easily taken care of.  
But still. Was Hermione even aware of what this would mean for her? "Do you know why this spell is an Unforgivable Curse, Hermione? It can not be cured, it can only be taken back by the person who cursed you. Should this person not be willing to lift the curse or worse die, you would bear this curse as long as you live. Are you aware of this?”  
Hermione nodded, her eyes not wavering from his.   
“As soon as he realizes what you have done, he would hunt you, probably try to kill you or torture you to find out, who has been the one cursing you. Are you sure this is what you want for yourself?”  
She just stared at him, before her whole posture deflated as the air seemed to rush out of her. “Of course this is not what I want,” she said looking at him and the twins with a desperate expression in her eyes. “Merlin, I convinced Voldemort himself to let me take my OWLs because they were important to me. But if we really do this, I would never be able to go back to Hogwarts. I’d be constantly on the run…” She shook her head. “Believe me, I've thought a lot about this during the last day. I know how it feels to be a muggle-born witch, but afterwards, I wouldn't even be that. I'd be a Squib, which probably means that I'm not worth more than a house-elf in most people's eyes. I'll probably lose my friends, my home, everything…" she said and Severus could see that she desperately tried to hold back the tears.   
He looked at her with a sigh. “Not everything,” he said, getting up from his chair. “You’ll always have me, I promised to be always by your side and I meant it.” He walked around the table and gently put his hand on her shoulder.   
Hermione looked up at him, a lonely tear running down her cheek. “Thank you.”  
From above he could see the twins putting their arms around her from both sides, a teasing grin on their faces. “You’ll also have to keep us,” Fred said, his voice almost playful. “Or did you think you’d get rid of us like this? Nope, that won’t be working, love.” George, who was sitting on Hermione’s other side, nodded.   
"We love you, Hermione, no matter what. Just… please be sure this is what you want to do."  
Now all of her attempts to hold back her tears failed and Hermione launched herself at them with a sob. The words seemed to have left her, Severus thought fascinated by the interaction of the three of them. They managed to hold each other, without being bothered by his presence. Neither of them pushed him away, quite the contrary. It wasn't long until Hermione turned around and pulled him close, too and to his surprise, he allowed it without hesitation. He was aware of Draco watching them with a satisfied glint in his eyes and Severus could not help but ask himself, if the boy had played them all. He probably had and Severus decided to talk to him later. He would not let Draco become another Dumbledore that got used to manipulating people around like chess pieces.

The three of them held Hermione for a while, Severus being the first to let go of her. The twins followed his example shortly after, a brave smile plastered on their faces. Gryffindors!  
One after the other they sat down again and Severus could feel his head trying to comprehend his friend’s plan. If there was one person being able to go through with this, it was Hermione Granger. The girl had lived without magic for almost twelve years and she had lived without a wand under Voldemort’s roof. He had seen in her mind that she had not been the one to ask it back from him, but his former master had given it back as he understood, that he could not break her with this. Yes, it would be a hard blow for her, but they would be at her side and catch her if she stumbled. And he was sure there would be a few bumps along the road.

Ssssssss

"Are you happy with yourself?" Severus growled as soon as he had pulled his manipulative godson into his room. Hermione was kept occupied with the twins, which allowed him to take his godson down a notch.  
Draco nodded. “You must admit that it is a good solution. No one needs to get hurt any longer and the costs are comparatively low. No one will have to die any longer, there will be no tortured or maimed bodies to be found.”  
Severus built himself up in front of this insufferable boy and looked at him with a stern expression. “Hermione losing her magic is anything but a trifle. I know you do not care about her, you have bullied her for years, after all.”  
The boy wanted to reply something, but Severus was not finished. “There is a price to all of this and it is a high one. Only because you are not the one paying it does not mean you should take this lightly. You will never be able to pay her back for this, none of us will. But you and I, we know what she is saving the wizarding world from. We have seen what this man is capable of.”  
The boy nodded grimly. “Don’t worry Uncle Sev. I will not forget what she did for our family and I intend to pay her back, even though I will never be fully able to. It does not matter, I will still try. I swear I will.”  
Severus nodded grimly. “See that you do. When it becomes common knowledge that she lost her magic, she will need people standing by her side and supporting her. I don’t want her to be another Mrs Figg.”  
"Who is Mrs Figg?" his godson asked confusedly. Severus waved him off.  
“Never mind. But there’s another thing. If I ever catch you trying to manipulate me again…” he let the words hang in the room. “We do not need another Albus Dumbledore. Is that understood?”  
Draco nodded remorsefully. “I won’t do it again,” he promised seriously. “Is that everything? Can I go?”  
He should have left it with that, Severus thought later, but for a moment he could not suppress the impulse and punched the boy into the face. Draco stumbled back several steps and stared at him with wide eyes.   
“Now you can go,” Severus said dismissively and rubbed his aching knuckles. He’d heal them later.   
His godson stared at him for a long moment, before he shrugged with a wistful smile. “I guess I deserved that,” he said and turned around without another word.   
Severus grinned darkly and thought: Yeah, you really did you little arsehole. 

Ssssssss

Fred and George did not leave her side for the rest of the day and Hermione enjoyed having them close. She had feared to lose them, even though those fears now suddenly seemed ridiculous to her when Fred and George cuddled her on the sofa like that.  
“Hermione? Do you have a minute?” Severus suddenly asked and Hermione looked up at him in confusion. Right after they had finished their conversation he had disappeared into his room and was not to be seen for the rest of the day. Now he had suddenly reappeared and stared at her with dark, serious eyes.  
She nodded with a smile, that was not entirely able to mask her nervousness. “Of course.”  
Fred and George immediately let go of her and Hermione followed Severus into his room. It still felt strange to have him back at her side, supporting her and inviting her to his room, after being locked up by a maniac for weeks. But here he was, an unwavering friend and indispensable support at her side.   
“I have something for you,” he finally announced, as soon as he had closed the door behind her and motioned for her to sit down in one of his armchairs. He seemed nervous, Hermione realized, which was strange as she had never seen him like that. She blinked at him in confusion.   
Severus stepped closer and Hermione saw some sort of pendants resting in his palm. One had the form of a beautiful, golden lioness, the other one was a simple silver snake, winding itself around something that looked like a ruby.   
"I made these," her friend said calmly. "This one is for you. They aren't simple jewellery but are enchanted to enable us to share our feelings and even speak to each other in our thoughts if we should wish to do so. I know this is not what we had through the link, but you said that you're scared to be alone with him in your head and this way I could at least be there if you need me." He stared down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "I know there’s the twins now, but…”  
She didn’t let him continue that sentence, as she quickly got up and pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you,” she whispered and leaned her head against his chest. “This is the most thoughtful and personal gift I’ve ever been given. I can’t believe you made this for me and are willing to wear this. I know how you value your privacy.”  
Hermione felt him shake his head. "I do with almost everyone, but not with you. Still, those pendants can be taken off anytime, if one of us needs some privacy and I would appreciate it if you did so when you have a sleepover with your twins."  
“Of course,” she hastily assured him, her cheeks colouring with embarrassment.   
Severus carefully pulled back from her and looked at her with a hesitant smile on his lips. "They need to be personalized before we can wear them. A drop of blood from each of us on every pendant will make sure that they can be only worn by us and will not work for anybody else. I already my blood to them in case you are wondering. I wanted to build in some sort of protection mechanism in case they fall into the wrong hands."  
Hermione nodded, admiring the planning he had put into this. Severus really was a genius, even though probably no one but her was aware of it, as he did not advertise his talents. “That’s a brilliant idea,” she praised him. “I can’t believe you were able to create something as beautiful and clever as this in a matter of days. You must have been working day and night for this.”  
He nodded with a sheepish smile. “I have. I… I have been missing you, Hermione and sometimes I felt like I was about to lose you, no matter how much I tried to tell myself that this is not the case. To be honest, I think I need them as much as you do. Does that make you feel uncomfortable?”  
“What? No!” she said, looking up at him in confusion. “Why would it make me uncomfortable to know that you care about me? You are the best friend I ever had, Severus and considering what I am about to do I think I’ll need you more than ever.”  
Severus stared at her with a solemn expression. “About that: I want you to know that no one is expecting of you to do this. Not a single witch or wizard would ask this of you, do you hear me? So please don’t feel pressured into something that you are not ready to do.”  
Hermione stared at the pendant in his hands. Making a quick decision she pulled out her wand she transfigured a needle out of one of her hairs and jabbed her fingertip. Immediately a drop of blood appeared on her skin and she rubbed it on the first pendant, making it glow silvery. She repeated the process with the other one. She stared at the man in front of her for a long moment, before she took the golden pendant out of his hand and slipped the simple, golden necklace that was added to it over her head. Severus watched her with an unreadable expression, before he slipped on the other necklace, hiding it under his robes so that no one would even know it was there. The effect was immediate, as she felt his presence in her mind almost immediately, as the pendant must have touched his skin. There were worry and affection radiating from him and Hermione put everything she did not find words for into the feelings she sent back to him. He looked at her with wide eyes.  
“This works even better than I had imagined,” he whispered, his voice hoarse and Hermione nodded happily. Those pendants were really amazing pieces of spellwork.   
"They are," she replied and hoped that this new connection would help him to understand her decision better. She wasn't doing this because she felt pressured by others, but the longer she thought about it, the more she realized that it was the right thing to do. They needed to take out Voldemort now, otherwise, the damage that maniac did would be devastating. But there was no other way to take him out immediately, as they would either have to destroy the Horcruxes to do it or duel and incarcerate him. None of those options sounded very promising at the moment.  
For a while, the two of them just stared at each other, before Severus gently placed his hand on her shoulder again. "Alright Hermione, I see you have put a lot of thought into this," he said, looking at her with a serious expression. "I'll support you, not only with bracing the curse but also with everything that comes afterwards. You'll have to stay in hiding for a while longer, wait until Voldemort is exposed of having lost his magic. He'll be very dangerous in the next few months."  
Hermione nodded, unable to suppress the nervousness that was starting to take hold of her. “Would you… could you…” she started, looking for the right words of what she was going to ask. “I want you to be the one who curses me. The twins…”  
“...would not be able to do it,” he supplied for her.  
“Yeah… and Draco… I could ask him but he has no experience with casting Unforgivables, has he? Apart from that, you’re the one I trust. So… could you do it?” Her eyes looked at him imploringly.  
Her friend sighed. “Do you have any idea what you are asking of me? Probably not, as you never cast an Unforgivable yourself. Using them always has a price, it taints your magic and soul. Apart from that, you have to mean the curse. You must want to torture, kill, control or rob somebody’s magic. And I do not want to do this to you.”   
Hermione looked at him with sad, understanding eyes. “I see,” she said, unable to suppress the disappointment she was feeling. But he was right, she could not ask this of him, not after he had finally left that dark chapter of his life behind.  
“Stop,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “I didn’t say I would not do it, just that I do not want to. I said I would support you, no matter what and I meant it. I will find a way to cast that damned curse, Hermione, but not today. Alright?”  
"Of course," she said and stared at him in relief. "Thank you, Severus. I'll never be able to thank you enough for this."  
He looked down at her, shaking his head with a crooked smile on his lips. “Say’s the girl who is about to sacrifice her magic to save the wizarding world,” he replied with dark humour. “You should really start changing your perspective, girl.”


	14. Follow me to the ground

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am no expert in Latin. The translation of the spell has kindly been provided by Google Translate. ;-)  
> Here we go, guys. I will try to post one chapter a day until this story is finished. I hope I can do it. It is all written out, but I’m going through every chapter again before I publish it here. As always I am glad for every one of you, who made it this far in the story. It is you who keep me motivated to actually finish these stories. ;-)

"Where do you think Hermione is?" Harry asked his mate, lounging on the sofa of Grimmauld Place. This could have been the best summer holidays of his life, as it was the first time he didn't immediately go back to the Dursleys. Instead, he spent his time at Grimmauld place, talking to Sirius or Ron, but with every passing day, he felt more and more restless.  
"Dunno," Ron said, putting down his book on chess theory. "One thing is obvious though, she is no longer with You-Know-Who. Merlin, I can't get this picture from the Prophet out of my head. Umbridge was a bitch, but she didn't deserve this."  
Harry nodded. “Yeah, he is looking for her, I can feel it in my bones. And he is starting to get really desperate, probably because he’s not able to find her.”  
"Do you think she's with Fred and George?" Ron asked, his voice hopeful. "We haven't seen them for days, but I don't think anything bad happened to them. They are much too clever for that, right?"  
Harry nodded. “If the Death Eaters had killed them, we would know. Voldemort knows that they carried a torch for her and probably the other way around. She’s protected them from him at the Ministry, remember?”  
“Guess so,” Ron replied, his voice broody. “But if she’s with them, why don’t they come here? Grimmauld Place is our Headquarters, it has the best wards money can buy. She would be safe here!”

No, she wouldn’t, Harry realized. He felt something shift within him, growing restless like a caged animal. He knew what it was, felt it rattling at the bars of the cage of Occlumency, he had locked it away in. The part of Voldemort’s soul stuck in him was growing more and more restless and by now it took all his will power to keep it in line. But he had to, for Hermione. As long as he did not have this thing under control he could not come near her, or he would probably do something he would regret. His feelings towards his friend grew more and more confused with every day that passed: friendship, anger, lust, confusion, longing were only a few of them. He really wanted to find her, to contact her, but so did he. What if Harry found her? Would Voldemort know where she was then? Probably, which wasn’t something he could let happen, ever. He would not disappoint Hermione again. That maniac had caught her because of his impulsive behaviour once, but not again, never again. Which meant Harry had to stay put, while his thoughts were growing more and more restless. Great holidays, indeed!

Ssssssss

"You sure you want to do this?" George asked, staring down at his girlfriend with a worried expression. Severus watched him tiredly, while he reigned his feelings in and locked them away in a cage once more. He had done it often enough when he had gone on Death Eater raids for his former master. Otherwise, he would have never been able to do what was required of him there. Today he would do it one last time, for Hermione, and after that never again. He was done with the Unforgivables, as they had brought him nothing but suffering.  
“I am,” Hermione replied with a brave smile on her lips, proving that she truly was a Gryffindor. He could see her new necklace shimmering, as she wore it proudly for everyone to see. He himself had taken his pendant off, as he readied himself for the task he was about to perform. This was not Hermione today, it was a faceless, emotionless puppet he was about to curse. She did mean nothing to him, nothing at all, as one could not have feelings for a puppet, right?   
He saw Fred and George Weasley hugging her, whispering encouraging words to her, while Draco sat on the sofa in the background, watching them with an almost bored expression. It was all an act, of course, but the young Malfoy would probably rather bite off his tongue than to admit that he cared for the girl, whose name was no longer important. She was no one.   
“Alright, let’s do this,” the girl said nodding towards the twins with an encouraging smile. Then she stepped away from them, walking towards him with her face schooled into an expressionless mask. He had told her not to address him, to be as passive as possible, if she wanted to make this task any easier for him. He had explained to her what he had to do to himself, to be even able to curse her. The girl had listened to him intensely, hugged him and promised to do as he told her. And she did.   
She slowly walked towards him, her eyes cast down at the floor until she was about three metres away. There she halted and waited, her eyes never leaving the spot in front of her on the floor.  
In a fluent motion, Severus pulled the wand out of his sleeve and pointed it at her. His mind concentrated on the spell and the intention to cast it, to rob this inconsequential girl of her magic. "Asperio!"  
Even if he had never spoken them before, the words flew from his lips with shocking ease, his curse hitting the girl squarely into the chest. For a tiny moment, her eyes snapped up to him, focussed him, before they rolled back in her head and she crumbled on the floor. Detachedly he watched the other boys rush to her side, try to shake her awake and call out to her, but it was of no consequence. She was out to the world, could not hear them, he realized and turned around. He did not look at her again, as he walked towards his room with measured, slow steps. Only after he closed and warded the door behind him, he started to dismantle the cage he had build for his feelings and as he did, they hit him like the worst Crucio into his chest. He had done it, he had robbed Hermione of her magic, rendered her helpless and worthless in the eyes of the wizarding world. He truly was a monster!  
He barely made it to his bed, his eyes wet with unshed tears. Just when his knees hit the frame of his bed he felt it, an ever-growing trickle of magic entering his magical core from an external source, her magic. And just then it hit him, why the Asperio truly was an Unforgivable Curse. Hermione's magic wasn't just vanishing, he sucked it out of her, assimilated it without pause, without mercy. He had made the girl his personal source of magical energy and there was nothing she could do against it until he took that Curse of her. Mother of Merlin!   
His stomach clenched violently, making him feel sick all of a sudden. In a quick motion, he dashed into his private bathroom, right in time before he lost the contents of his stomach into the toilet. It was years ago since this last happened to him, as he had long ago accepted the self-loathing he felt when he looked into the mirror. How was he supposed to live with that, to look Hermione into her eyes knowing that she had no magic left in her because he was sucking it out of her like a fucking vampire?  
Another wave of sickness hit him, making him retch until he was sweaty and his stomach completely empty. Only then he crumpled on the floor next to the toilet, rolling together into a foetal position. And then he cried.

Ssssssss

Lord Voldemort paced the room with restless steps, staring at that useless bunch of Aurors in annoyance. No wonder the Ministry had not been able to track his lioness down, those idiots were even worse than useless, they were a hindrance!  
Seven hells, his desire to torture them or another one of those useless idiots grew day by day, but now that he had proclaimed himself Minister and the good guy all eyes were suddenly on him and he hated it. No wonder Fudge had been such a slimy piece of shit in the end…  
"What do you mean you could not find them?" he asked, his voice a disdainful sneer. "Fred and George Weasley are barely out of Hogwarts. They are known to come from a poor family and to be hot-headed Gryffindors. And you are telling me you cannot track their wands?"  
One of the chief Aurors, Thompson he believed, wrung his hands and looked at him with a helpless expression. “They are probably hiding behind some powerful wards,” he said, making Voldemort want to choke him here and now.  
He took a deep breath in the hope that it would calm him down. “Did you just listen? They come from a poor family. The wards on the Burrow are a joke and they would not have been able to afford anything better for themselves. A reliable source told me that they are neither at Hogwarts, so I am asking you again: Where are they?”  
The bunch of idiots stared at him mutely, like sheep that were facing a wolf that was about to rip them to pieces. Oh, how much he craved to do that. But no, not now. He needed to keep up appearances. After a minute of silence, he pinched the bridge of his nose and got up from the opulent desk that was taking up a good part of his Ministry office.  
“You will make these posters and put them up on every wall that is visible to the magical community. If you are not able to find them, someone will, given a large enough bounty on their heads. I want those boys found and then I want to question them. Because if someone knows where my queen is, then it is them.” Lord Voldemort looked at them with small eyes and one after the other bowed.  
“Yes Minister,” Thompson said, saluted and left his office, the other idiots following him. Minister, he thought, a disapproving sneer on his face. How long would he have to bear that title, before he could order them to call him my Lord? He'd endure that farce until he had found his queen, he decided, flexing his fingers that already hurt from clenching his hand in frustration. As soon as he had her he would teach those morons a lesson, starting with those infamous Weasley twins. He already had a brilliant idea on how to use their bodies to drive the message home.  
He tiredly walked back to his chair and was just about to sit down, as his queen’s magic called out for him through the bond. She was terrified, she realized, her magic pleading him to help her, to save her.   
“Where are you?” he asked through the bond, but instead of an answer, another wave of fear seeped through the bond, before the energy loss hit him like a Crucio. Goddamn woman, he thought, activating the port key that would bring him back to his private chambers at his house. Those morons were not supposed to find him helplessly collapsed on his desk, not ever, as that would probably mean the end of his reign.   
He barely realized when his body stumbled onto the floor of his bedroom, his wand slipping out of his hand and rolling away from him on the floor. He made a last attempt to catch it before he felt the world around him shift and darkness mercilessly pulled him into its invisible arms.

Ssssssss

It was the first time Hermione was hit by an Unforgivable Curse and to her big surprise, it did not hurt. The minutes prior to it, were some of the most difficult and terrifying of her life, not because she was afraid of losing her magic or of the pain that might follow, but because she could suddenly understand how it felt to be a victim of a Death Eater raid. Hermione had seen many of Severus' faces, or probably masks was the better term here, but the one he wore today was the most terrifying she had ever seen. His eyes were not only black and expressionless, there was a coldness in them that made her shiver and want to hide as far away from him as possible. She wasn’t sure if she would ever forget that look and the feeling to be completely at somebody’s mercy or if it would come haunting her in her nightmares.

Hermione did not know how long she was unconscious, but when she woke up she was lying on her back in the twin's bed, both boys holding her carefully between them. She felt strange, a bit tired but not overly so. It almost felt like she had taken a too-long nap, her head still fuzzy from the unexpected amount of sleep. But otherwise, she felt fine.  
She opened her eyes with a slow blink and found George staring down at her, his face clouded with worry. It took him a moment to realize that she was awake, but then a huge smile lit up his face and he stared at her in wonder.  
“You’re awake,” he said and touched her cheek with his calloused hand. “How are you feeling?”  
Before she could answer Fred’s face came into view, his brown eyes studying her face with concentration. “Is there anything you need? A glass of water maybe?”  
Hermione looked at them with a fond smile. “I’m feeling alright, I guess, a bit strange to be honest, like I’m suddenly missing something but can’t put a finger on it. But that’s alright, I’m sure I’ll get used to that feeling in no time.”  
The twins nodded, a solemn expression on their faces. “If there’s anything we can do,” George said, his eyes so full of love and acceptance that it robbed her breath for a moment. “Just let us know, alright?” How did she even deserve those wonderful boys at her side? Whatever news she threw at them, they were taking it in stride, never wavering in their affection for her, never questioning her decisions. She did not know how she had won their love and their loyalty, but she was determined to keep both of it, both of them.   
“There is indeed something,” she replied slowly, before she sought them out with her eyes, a shy smile on her lips. “I really feel like I could use some more Weasley cuddles and a few more kisses probably wouldn’t go amiss as well.”  
Her boys pulled her into their arms with a wide smile on their faces.  
"We'll cuddle you all night, love if this makes you feel better," George whispered and pulled her into a slow kiss, while his fingers disappeared between her thick locks. She turned towards him with a happy sigh and started to lazily explore his mouth with her tongue, her hands latching onto his T-Shirt and holding him close.  
"And we'll gladly kiss you or distract you if that is what you want. You're not leaving this bed today, woman," he whispered and kneaded her tense shoulders with his hands, making her moan into George's mouth. "We wouldn't want you to collapse in the middle of the living room, would we?"  
When he touched her like this, his clever fingers finding every sore spot and knot in her muscles, she would have agreed to almost anything, she thought, leaning into his touch with pleasure. “Absolutely not,” she murmured, her voice almost a purr.   
Fred chuckled into her ear. "Good," he whispered, his fingers expertly massaging the muscles of her back. "Because I'm determined to show you how much I love you, with or without your magic Hermione. To us, this doesn't matter."  
George nodded and Hermione did not know whom of them to kiss first, her heart overflowing with love and gratefulness towards them. “I love you too,” she whispered, turned around and kissed Fred with a desperation that was totally unknown to her. “I love you so much,” she whispered while her mouth worshipped his lips with a fever that seemed to grow with passing every minute. But the two of them met her passion without hesitation, pulling her against their bodies with a passion that made her feel hot all over and ache to them within her. Luckily they met her urges only too willingly.  
Much later, when her head was bedded on Fred’s chest and George was firmly pressed against her from behind she felt a peacefulness, that she had not felt in a very long time. If their plan had worked as it was supposed to, Voldemort would no longer be powerful enough to hurt the once she loved. And as her ear was pressed against Fred’s chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart she knew that she would be fine with or without her magic. She would find her way and she would not have to do so alone.


	15. The man in the mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys. This story is slowly starting to wind down now. But I am taking my time to not hurry the ending. Letting this story go is hard enough as it is.

When Hermione, Fred and George emerged from the twin’s room in the morning, Malfoy already waited for them on the sofa.   
"How do you feel?" he asked and looked at her critically, but for some reason, Hermione believed to recognize a worried undertone in his voice.  
“Better than I expected,” she admitted with a small smile on her lips. “But I will need some time to adjust, not physically, but the implications of my decision just start to hit me.”  
The boy nodded. “Understandable. Your whole world just turned upside down.”  
Hermione nodded, a bit astonished by the boy’s insight. Then she looked around in the room with furrowed brows. "Where's Severus?" she asked and saw that Malfoy's face turned sour.  
“He hasn't come out of his room since after he cursed you. I tried talking to him through the door, but he just sent me away. I’m worried.” It was the most open Hermione had ever seen the boy, which was saying something about his emotional state right now. He really was worried, which immediately had her worried, too.   
“Severus, can you hear me?” She sent the mental question into his direction, but a moment later she realized that he must have taken his pendant off, because she could not feel him and got no answer. This wasn’t good.  
“I’ll go and talk to him,” she said out aloud, earning herself a nod from the three of them.   
Only a few seconds later she was at Severus’ door and knocked gently. “Severus? Can I come in?” she asked and immediately heard him shuffle around on the other side. But there was no answer from him. “Severus?” she asked again and this time there were steps close to the door.   
“Go away Hermione,” she heard him say a moment later, his voice sounding somewhat strange. “I’m not in the mood to talk right now.”  
Hermione sighed. “Severus, please. We don't have to talk if you don't want to. Just let me in."  
"No," he said, his voice flat. For a moment she considered leaving him be, but then something inside her told her that her friend needed her. And she wasn't about to be sent off like a schoolgirl by an unnerved Professor, especially not by him. For that, they had lived through too much shit together. She would not let him push her away, not when he obviously needed her.

Sssssss

“Severus Snape, open that door or I swear I will tear it down with my bare hands!” Hermione yelled, while constantly knocking at his door for almost five minutes now. This girl simply did not want to give up and leave him alone, no matter how often he told her that he did not want to talk to her, or to anybody really. He couldn't even look at himself in the mirror right now, couldn't face the man he had become over the years. Lily would be disgusted by him, he realized, and so should everybody else. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Hermione. You can’t. I have warded that door and you don’t even have your magic any longer. I’ve taken it away from you. You can’t get in,” he said sadly. “No matter how hard you try.” 

“Oh, you just watch me!” Hermione muttered. She was furious, that much was obvious, but a moment later he could hear her stomp away with angry steps. It wouldn’t be too long until she realized that she could indeed not break through a simple ward. Then she would start seeing what she had given up, given to him. And he’d be surprised if she still wanted to see him afterwards. 

Ssssssss

“Oh, this man!” Hermione muttered furiously and Fred saw her rummaging through various cupboards in the flat. What was she doing in the kitchen and in the room that was holding the cleaning supplies?   
“Just leave her,” George whispered, eying their girlfriend with a resigned expression on his face. “You know mum is starting to cook and clean when she’s mad. This is probably a female thing.” Fred shrugged and together with his brother he retreated to the sofa, seeing Hermione disappear into her room with various bottles and bowls, silently muttering curses before she closed the door with a loud bang.  
For a while the flat fell silent, Malfoy shuffling around somewhere in the background, watching his godfather’s door with a gloomy expression on his face.   
Then suddenly, Hermione emerged from her room, two bottles of something undefinable in her hand and looked at them with a sour look on her face that would have made McGonagall herself proud. “Silence the flat,” she instructed them sternly “and then duck and shield.”  
Fred looked at her with a confused look on his face, but he knew better than to question his girlfriend. He didn’t fancy sleeping on the floor tonight.   
Hermione watched them for a moment, before she turned around with a loud huff, marching towards Snape’s door with balled fists.   
“Severus Snape,” she shouted. “This is your one last chance. Open that door!”   
But if there was an answer from inside, Fred was not able to hear it. For a while, nothing happened. Then suddenly they saw Hermione storm off, before a moment later a large explosion shook the flat, blowing a large hole into the wall in the corridor. Fred heard a loud curse from inside Snape's room and a moment later they saw him look through the hole at Hermione, who was standing in front of him, her skin black with smoke and her hair standing up at all sides. She was looking like an avenging angel right on her way to bring justice to everybody deserving of it.  
“I told you I would open that door,” she said matter of factly and stepped towards the astonished men with slow steps. “And now move aside, you idiot.”  
Snape stared at her for a long moment. Then he did as she said, his eyes still wide in disbelief.  
“Hermione can be really scary when she gets in that sort of mood,” George murmured next to him, before he closed the door to the living room with a wave of his wand. He probably attempted to give Snape and Hermione some much-needed privacy.   
Fred nodded, crossing his arms behind his head. “But you can’t deny that she’s also kind of sexy, when she’s starting to blow things up like that,” he added, an admiring glint in his eyes.

Ssssssss

Severus watched the girl walk into his room, a dark expression on her face. Her eyes were full of fire, while her mouth was set into a straight line and for some reason he thought that this must be the expression she wore with Potter and the younger Weasley, when they had again made idiots out of themselves.   
“I didn’t know the twins had their supplies in the flat,” he said, unwilling to move from his spot close to the door. He probably should fix that wall, he thought, but his wand was lying on his nightstand as he could not bring himself to use it again after speaking that particular curse. Even touching it right now felt wrong and the idea of using it, of using her magic felt even worse.   
Hermione stomped towards him with a furious expression on her face. He’d never seen her like that, but he supposed he did deserve every bit of her anger. “You think I needed the Weasley twins to blow up your goddamned wall. Really? You really are an idiot, Severus Snape.”  
She stopped right in front of him and motioned towards the wracked wall. “This is chemistry, Severus. I don’t need magic to blow up a stupid wall. So don’t you dare ever tell me again what I can and cannot do. Did I make myself clear?”  
He stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. “You broke into my room with Muggle science,” he said. “When did you learn how to do that?”  
The girl snorted humorlessly. “So now you want to talk, do you?” she asked, pricking his chest with her index finger.   
He looked down at her with a tired sigh. “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he said and looked down at her sadly. “This was never my intention.”  
Their eyes met. “Hurt me? You did not hurt me, you idiot, you scared me, not by cursing me but by hiding in this damned room for god knows how long without talking to anybody. I can understand that you don’t want to see me after what I made you do. But Draco, too? He’s your godson I’ve been told.” She started to pace in front of him. “I was worried sick when I couldn’t feel you through our pendants. I thought that’s what they were there for? To reassure the other that one was alright or to call for help if one wasn’t? I just want to know if you are alright, how I can help you, Severus.”  
“You are worried about me,” he stated tonelessly and looked at her in confusion. “Why?”  
“Because I care about you, Severus,” the girl said heatedly, her eyes flowing over with feelings. “Isn’t that obvious?”  
It was. Hermione Granger cared about him, no matter how little he deserved it. And that realization made him feel even worse. “But I’m not the one that got hurt, you were. I hurt you, Hermione. How can you not see this? Merlin, how can you even look at me right now?”  
He saw her taking a deep breath, before her hand trailed down and took his hand. “You did not hurt me,” she assured him, her eyes pleading for him to believe her. “Severus, I asked you to do this, to speak that curse. But looking at you now, I realize that I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry if I asked too much of you.”  
Severus stared down at their entwined hands, his throat suddenly tightening with unexpressed feelings. It was impossible to reply for him right now, as he was pretty sure no words would come out of his mouth if he tried to speak. So instead he took a shaky breath and pressed Hermione’s hand. She looked up at him with a pleading expression.  
“Severus, please,” she whispered. “Where is your pendant? Just put it on and then we will talk about this.”  
He looked down at her with a sigh. She was right, they needed to talk. He needed to tell her what he had done, that he had not only cursed but robbed her and maybe then she would start to understand.

“Alright, I will go and get it,” he said and let go of their hands. Severus walked to his nightstand, opened the drawer and took out the pendant that he had carefully wrapped in black silk. He looked towards her and saw that she was watching him with brown, worried eyes. Alright, he could do this, he told himself. Making a short decision he put on the necklace and hid it under his robes. Immediately he could feel her worry for him, her friendship that seemed to engulf him like a warm embrace. And instantly he felt reassured and felt his chest untighted, making it suddenly easier for him to breathe.  
“Shall we sit down?” she asked, her voice suddenly sounding small and hesitant, probably because she could now also feel his fear and disgust towards himself. He nodded and walked her over to the armchairs, where she sat down with a sad expression on her face.  
“There is no reason for you to feel guilty towards me, Severus,” Hermione said kindly as soon as he had sat down next to her. “You did what I asked you to, nothing more, alright? I am fine, I promise.”  
He nodded, as he could feel that she was telling the truth. “Very well, I believe you. But Hermione, you don’t know half of it. Your magic, it isn’t just gone. By cursing you I stole it, Hermione, I have it now, all of it.”  
For a moment his friend did not react to his words, but through their pendants he could feel that her words confused her. She stared at him with furrowed brows, started gnawing at her bottom lip and after a while she said: “That does not make sense, Severus. Not that I don’t believe you. But why would someone like Voldemort not use this spell to make himself even more powerful? He would not have needed an Open Link to get the most powerful wizard on Earth, would he?”  
Severus nodded contemplatively. It was true, he realized. Voldemort had been throwing Unforgivables around like candies, he would have used this one mercilessly, no matter how disgusting and forbidden it was. “You’re right. The only reason I can imagine for him to not have used it is that he did not know what would really happen if somebody got cursed with this. It was not written in the book, or in any book I remember. The curse was not used for several centuries, but maybe this was why it was banned to begin with. I mean, imagine what would happen if it was used extensively. A few wizards would grow stronger and stronger, leaving behind a trail of helpless Squibs. No magical society could survive this, they would go extinct.”  
Hermione agreed with a nod. “Probably, as most wizards are not muggle born and therefore prepared for what a loss of their magic would mean to them.” One of her fingers disappeared in her mouth and he could see that she had started torturing her nail now. “I can imagine that the full description of the curse was left out on purpose for that reason. And if the curse was used by someone anyway, it would always leave a Squib behind that would raise questions and demand punishment or a reversal of the curse. There is no way of casting that curse in secret, or at least it would have been very difficult to, as someone would have always noticed what happened to the victim.”  
Hermione was right. Whoever was hit by that curse would have bent heaven and hell to get his magic back, resulting in the caster getting punished heavily. Not that this would have held back the Dark Lord if he had been aware of the power that curse could have bestowed on him. But luckily not even the Dark Lord had discovered all dark secrets magic had to offer.  
“The world must never know” Hermione said, looking at him with a vivid expression in her eyes. “They must not know that you have my magic now, no matter what. You must keep this secret Severus, or the consequences could be devastating.”  
“Indeed,” he replied gravely and took her hand into his. “This must remain a secret between the two of us. You can’t even tell the twins, because the more people know about it, the higher is the risk of somebody blabbering it out by accident. And we cannot risk this.”  
“This secret will stay between you and me,” she promised, locking her eyes with him. “I guess at some point news of me losing my magic will come out, but we can say that it is just gone, or blocked. Can we not?”  
Severus looked at her with a sad expression. “To this world I am dead, Hermione and I plan to leave it that way. If Voldemort knows I am still alive he will know that I was the one cursing you. He will do anything he can to make me take that curse back from you.”  
She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes full of confusion. “So what do you plan to do? Hide in this damned flat until you are old and grey?”  
He shrugged. Yes, he had considered this but after finally being free of all obligations he did not feel like locking himself away in a self-made prison. “I thought about re-inventing myself. I brewed Voldemort a potion to restore his old body. I am sure I could find something to change my appearance as well. This way I could stay at your side and no one would have to know it is me you are friends with.”  
His friend did not react right away, but suddenly he could feel her growing anger through the bond and he could see her eyes light up with fire. “What is this supposed to mean, Severus? Do you think that I am ashamed of this friendship? Do you think I care what others think about this? I don’t!”  
“Not even Potter and Weasley? Because I can tell you they will not like this, Hermione,” he replied calmly.   
To his surprise Hermione snorted. “Harry and Ron either accept this, or they will at least learn holding their tongues. I don’t accept someone talking bad about my friends and that is what you are Sev, my friend.”  
It was the first time she called him by that pet name and he realized he liked it. Hearing it made him feel warm and fuzzy all over. “And Voldemort? He will start hunting me and I don’t feel like running away the rest of my life,” he said flatly.  
Hermione pressed his hand, before she sent him an encouraging smile. “Then don’t! All we have to do is wait until somebody notices he has lost his magic. It might take a while, but I hope that he will lose most of his followers after a while. When this happened, there is nothing you need to be afraid of any longer. Voldemort has no power left whatsoever, you have it, Severus. If there is someone with a reason to be afraid, then it is him.”  
Severus looked at his friend in wonder. She was right, there was no reason to run from this man any longer. He was free of him and Dumbledore and there was no reason for him to hide, to stay dead. It would have been the easier way for him, but maybe it was time for him to be a Gryffindor too, for once.  
“Alright, I will stay who I am, Hermione. Even though I have gotten tired of that old, grumpy face.”  
The girl nodded with a happy smile. “Then start being less grumpy, Sev. I can do anything I want now and so can you. I guess neither of us will return to Hogwarts, at least I don’t feel like you feel inclined to return. Think about what would make you happy, Sev and then do it.”  
He looked at her for a long moment, before suddenly an idea came to his mind. He smiled. “How do you feel about a long holiday in Australia, Hermione? We’ll have to stay in hiding anyway and we could as well do that there.”  
Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. “You want to go on holidays?” she asked, her voice laced with disbelief. “I never thought Australia would be the country you’d want to travel to.”  
Severus snorted, his eyes unable to hide the happy glint any longer. “It isn’t. But I thought you might want to travel there and spend some time with your parents.”  
He had barely finished the sentence, as he suddenly found himself in a bone-crushing hug. “Oh could we, really?” she asked excitedly and he could feel her excitement seeping through the bond, infecting him, too. And for the first time in many years Severus Snape truly believed that things would be well for him, in the end. 

Sssssss


	16. Getting you back

Voldemort realized that something was amiss when he could not summon his food during breakfast the next morning. No matter how hard he tried or raged, not a single spark of magic would come out of his wand rendering the stupid thing useless like a common stick from the woods. How was that possible? What had happened to his queen and more importantly: what had happened to him? The link between him and her was still intact, he could feel her feelings through the bond: confusion, anger and then regret. What had those bastards done to her and therefore done to him? Listening inside him he could feel his magic trickle away constantly, like sand in an hourglass, only that it was no longer enough to satisfy his queen's needs and therefore the flow of magic through the bond never stopped.  
He waited all day and could feel her feelings change from time to time until she felt almost happy. But that did not make sense. Why would she feel happy, when she seemed to be in dire need of his magical support? His magic did not return, as his queen constantly sucked it out of him, her hunger for it seeming insatiable. This was bad, really bad. He needed his queen back, now, but for the first time in centuries, Lord Voldemort was at a loss of what to do.

Ssssssss

“We are coming with you!” Fred and George exclaimed excitedly, as soon as Hermione brought them the news of her planned journey.   
Hermione smiled. She hadn't expected anything else and really counted on their support when it came to explaining the whole story to her parents. She could only hope that they would understand and eventually forgive her for wiping their memories and sending them away.  
"But you'll have to use a muggle aeroplane," Hermione said, smiling at them nervously. "Severus and I decided that would be safest. I hope you don't mind?"  
The redheads looked at her with a smile. “Nah, it’s fine,” Fred assured her with a grin. “Dad will go nuts if we tell him we used one, one day.”  
“And we’ll need to get used to doing things the muggle way from time to time,” George said, gently taking her hand into his. “We intend to be part of your life for a long time, love and if that means learning to do things differently, so be it.”   
Hermione smiled widely and pulled the two of them in a lingering kiss. It was interrupted by somebody clearing his throat and when Hermione looked up dazedly, she saw Malfoy staring at them with an amused expression on his face. "I will not come with you," he said with a shrug. "Instead I will go back to my parents. They, of course, will have noticed my disappearance and I plan to help them through the difficult times that are ahead of us. My father is not well and still at St Mungos and my mother will need all the help she can get to get through the time that comes."  
“Of course,” Hermione said and stepped closer to the boy. When she was standing right in front of him, she offered him her hand for a handshake. “Thank you for coming with us, Malfoy. You were the ally we all needed. You were right, you and I are not friends, but maybe we could become that, one day. I would really like that, you know?”  
For a moment the boy stared silently at Hermione's hand before he took it with a friendly smile on his lips. "So would I. Thank you for being a Gryffindor, Granger. I will never forget what you did for all of us," he swore his voice sounding sincere.  
Hermione did not know what to say to that and so she simply shook his hand with a smile.  
“And now off with you to your bedroom. I don’t fancy watching you snogging each other’s brains out,” he said, an amused smile on his lips that told her he was only teasing them good-naturedly.  
Hermione smiled. “You should try finding someone to snog yourself,” she said cheekily and winked. “I can only recommend it.”  
"Hear, hear!" Fred said cheekily and before Hermione knew what was happening, he lifted her up and carried her towards their bedroom bridal style. Malfoy watched them and snorted amusedly. Her squealing and giggling could be heard through all of their flat.

Sssssss

"Calm down, Mione," Fred soothed his girlfriend and patted her hand, while George flanked her from the other side. "They are your parents, Hermione. Of course, they will forgive you."  
“Eventually,” Severus unhelpfully added from behind and Fred could not resist but glare at the man’s negativity. Snape just stared back at him with a raised brow.   
It took Hermione five more minutes to finally ring the doorbell and another minute for Hermione’s mum to open it. She looked at the four of them in confusion, no recognition gleaming in her eyes. Fred could see Hermione open her mouth to rattle off the excuse she rehearsed during half of the plane-ride, but before she could get a single syllable out her mother passed out from a stunner, Severus had sent in her direction without much hesitation.  
Hermione turned around and looked at him with an accusing expression on her face. The man looked at her with a shrug.  
"I thought you would not appreciate having to lie to your mother," he said matter of factly and levitated the unconscious woman inside. Hermione's father, who ran towards them a moment after, joined his wife on the floor. Fred held Hermione, who watched her parents with watery eyes, while Severus levitated both of them into the living room of the beautiful house, they had moved in. Then he set himself to work to restore their memories, while George excused himself to the kitchen to brew some tea, which he generously laced with calming draught - Hermione and her parents would really need that. He was back to the living room right in time for the Grangers to wake up, Hermione sitting across from them in the armchair with an anxious expression on their face.  
"Mum? Dad?" she asked with a small voice, her eyes raking over her parent's faces in the hope to find some sign of recognition in them. At first, the older Grangers just blinked at her sleepily, before they looked at the other inhabitants of the room. Then their eyes trailed back to Hermione before their brows knitted together in confusion.  
“Hermione?” Mr Granger said, his voice stern. “What is the meaning of this? Why are we in this strange house and who is that?” He motioned towards Severus, who stood behind Hermione with an unreadable expression on his face.   
Hermione sniffled before she leapt from her place and threw herself at the both of them, hugging them under tears. "You remember me," she hiccuped, clinging to her father with the desperation of a small child. "You really remember me."  
"Of course we remember you, darling," her mother soothed her while stroking her curls. "Why wouldn't we?"  
There was no time for Hermione to answer, as Severus simply said: “Because I deleted your memory and let you move out to Australia, which is where we currently are.”  
Their heads snapped up to him before they looked at him with a distrustful look in the eyes. "And who are you, Sir? What gave you the right to do this?" Hermione's father asked and gently pushed his daughter away. He was just about to get up when Hermione said calmly:  
"Because I asked him to, dad. It's a long story, a lot has happened since Christmas."  
Now it was Hermione’s mother who looked at her with a stern expression on her face. Fred had always found her a light-hearted woman, but now he realized that there was much more to her than he first thought. Merlin, how would she react when Hermione told her, that he and Georgie both dated her daughter? That wasn’t a thing Muggles used to do, right?  
“We better move over to the sofas Dan, because I think this young Miss has a lot of explaining to do.”  
Hermione nodded mutely, her eyes seeking out his nervously. Fred nodded and cast her an encouraging smile before he started to levitate the tea towards the coffee table. This would be a long morning, he guessed, but there would hopefully be a happy family in the end.

Ssssssss

"This is a lot to take in," her dad said, staring at her with a serious expression on his face. Hermione nodded and stared back at him guiltily. From the look on his face, she could tell that her father was not very happy with her.  
“What I don’t get is,” her mother said after a moment, “why you didn’t simply talk to us. You just could have told us all these things and we would have been out of Britain in the blink of an eye. We would have done anything to know you’re safe.”  
Hermione closed her eyes in despair. That had been the point. She hadn’t wanted to go with them, but she had known that her parents wouldn’t have let her stay behind. But now that she had to explain her reasoning to them she realized that she had simply taken the decision out of their hands. “I just wanted you safe,” she said pleadingly. “You are Muggles and they would have used you shamelessly to get to me. But I… I could not come with you, I needed a witch or wizard to link myself to and I had already linked myself to Severus. I could not simply go with you and leave him behind.”  
She saw her father take a deep breath and stared at her and Severus for a long moment. It was impossible to say what he was thinking, but it sure wasn't a happy thought. “So you thought it was the best choice to let your Professor brainwash your parents and stay behind to fight a war that, to make yourself a chess piece to be moved around, even though you were still a child? Really Hermione? You could have gotten yourself killed or raped by that maniac and we wouldn’t even have known!”  
Hermione stared at her hands that were folded in her lap. “I know,” she said. “And I am really sorry.”  
But her father wasn’t finished. “Are you? Because I don’t think you are. You would do it again if you could go back in time, no matter if things ended with you getting kidnapped, linked to a maniac and without magic. Am I right?”  
She nodded sadly. “You are right. I would do it again. But don’t you see? We beat him! Voldemort can not hurt anybody any longer. If I would have left with you, things would have gotten so much worse!”  
Her dad shook his head. “How do you know? Didn’t the real problem start when he connected himself with you? He wouldn’t have been able to find you, Hermione and that war would have been fought by the people who are supposed to keep you kids safe, the adults. It cannot be the job of a teenage girl to save the wizarding world. Most of those people had nothing but disdain for you because you were born to non-magical people. Do you think they will thank you now?"  
“I don’t know,” she said defeatedly. “But I also don’t really care. All I wanted is my friends to be safe. And you.”  
Her mum sighed, while her father tiredly rubbed his forehead. The whole situation reminded her of the fiasco with mums orchids and her microscope, or maybe the one with the fish tank she hid in her wardrobe to breed tadpoles. Only this time she had messed up ten times worse.  
How was she supposed to set this right, to make them forgive her? She didn’t know. Because she had betrayed their trust in the worst way imaginable to her.  
“What will you do now?” Hermione finally brought herself to ask and suddenly she felt like her ten-year-old self awaiting her punishment.   
“This we still need to decide,” her father decided, looking at her with a serious expression. “And I mean all of us, Hermione. Because this is how it should be done, don’t you think?” He looked at her with a questioningly raised brow.  
Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. “Does that mean you forgive me for what I’ve done?”  
At that, her mum smiled. “You are our daughter Hermione. We will always forgive you, no matter how badly you messed up. That doesn’t mean we will not assure that you’ve learned your lesson, young Miss.”  
She nodded before she pulled them in a tight, teary hug. "Thank you mum, dad," she said and when she looked up at her friends, she could see the twins smile encouragingly. Severus' face was his usual, inexpressive mask but when he realized that she was looking at him, he sent her the tiniest of nods.

Sssssss

George felt strangely reminded of the day last year when he met Hermione's parents properly for the first time. Their house in Australia also had a pool and once the first dust had settled, Hermione's parents invited them to stay at their house and join them for a day outside at the pool. After being trapped inside Snape's flat for so long there was nothing George would have rather done. Spending the days at the pool with his gorgeous girlfriend sounded perfect!  
Even Snape joined them outside. Seeing the man in swimming trunks and a T-shirt was the strangest sight, as they had only seen him in his dark teaching robes so far. But today he lounged in a sunchair, sunglasses on his long nose, and read a book. Hermione first looked like she would join him, but then she got closer, shed her T-shirt on the sun bench next to him and dove into the pool, Fred following her with a happy shout and a header. George looked at his two favourite people with a smile. It had been long ago since he saw Hermione this happy and careless.  
“You are George, aren’t you?” he suddenly heard Hermione’s mother ask from behind.  
“Uh yeah, I’m George,” he said, a crooked smile on his lips. “How can you tell? Most people have problems telling us apart and you’ve only met us a few times.”  
“So? You two are still different people,” the woman replied with a friendly shrug. “You behave very differently, even though you do look somewhat alike. But when one starts watching you, especially around my daughter, it is pretty clear who’s who.“ She twinkled.   
George rubbed his head. “Well, when you put it that way,” he said, with an awkward grin.   
"So tell me, George, how long are you and Fred already dating my daughter?" the woman suddenly asked, a knowing smile on her lips. Hell, the three of them had been extra cautious to not bring attention to their relationship for now, as Hermione found her parents had already enough to digest. But something must have given them away, as it appeared. Damn.  
"Well, it's only been a few days," he said vaguely and stared at Hermione and Fred in the pool. The both of them were playing a wild game of water ball, squealing and splashing water all around the pool. "Ever since we got her back from that bastard. But we're not planning to let her go anytime soon."  
“Good,” Mrs Granger said with a smile and gently touched his arm. “I can tell you’re good for her, even though Dan might need a while until he’s convinced of that. Don’t let him scare you away, he’s very protective of his little girl.”  
George nodded understandingly. He knew how his father behaved when it came to Ginny and he imagined it was pretty much the same here. "He cannot be scarier than Severus is, at times. We survived having potions with him for several years, it can't get much worse than having detention with him."  
At that, Emma Granger snorted. "By everything Hermione told us about him in her letters over the years, I guess you are right. Still, I recommend letting Hermione sleep in her own room for now, even though it might be difficult. Use the evenings to take her on a few dates and you will see that Dan will come around. Apart from that, it can't hurt to get to know your girl outside of school and war, don't you think?"  
George nodded with a happy grin. He could tell that Hermione’s mother meant well with her advice. And going on a few dates with Hermione in this beautiful country sounded like a pretty brilliant idea. 

Ssssssss

Severus could not deny that he was jealous of Hermione for having such understanding and accommodating parents. Having spent the day with them and watching their discussion with their daughter made him realize how messed up his own childhood had been. His father would have beaten him to a pulp had he dared to even raise his wand in his presence, let alone hex him. He had expected at least some severe trouble for Hermione, which had been his reason to accompany her to Australia. But Hermione’s father did not even look tempted to raise his hand against his daughter. All he had done was discuss her mistakes calmly, showing disappointment but never anger. And that was not what Severus had expected, given the circumstances. Had he known of the forgiving and understanding nature of these muggles he would have never agreed to Hermione’s request to obliviate and send them away. Because Dan Granger was right: it had never been Hermione’s job to bring peace to a world that had nothing but disdain for her. But what was done was done and now he could only hope that those Muggles would be as forgiving with him, as they had been with their daughter.   
“Well, Professor Snape,” Hermione’s father addressed him once the kids had retired into their corresponding rooms. He himself had decided to stay behind in the living room, hoping to initiate some kind of discussion between him and the Grangers. He was not to be disappointed. “I must thank you for getting my daughter out of this hell hole. I figured it was not a small feat to do so. Thank you for being there to support her, when we could not do so.”  
Severus nodded modestly. “I owe your daughter more than I can ever pay back,” he admitted, looking at the man with a serious expression. “And I don’t mean her saving us from that maniac. She has saved me long before and I’m not even sure she’s fully aware of it.”  
Dan Granger looked at him with a contemplative expression on his face. “It is not my place to ask for any details here,” he said calmly. “But I need to ask you, what your relationship towards my daughter is. What are you to her? A mentor? A father figure?”  
Severus weighed his head, as he contemplated the question. “I do not view her as the daughter I never will have,” he said carefully and closed the book he had been reading on the sofa. “I am too dependent on her friendship for that. Hermione was for a long time the first person that accepted me the way I am and it did not take long until she decided I was her friend. I do not deserve this friendship, but I cherish it more than I can ever put into words. I would be thrilled if she would accept me as a mentor, especially now that the way back to Hogwarts is closed for her.”  
Hermione’s father looked at him for a long moment. “Is that even possible now, that she has given up her magic? What is there left for her to learn, now that the magical world no longer has a place for her?”  
"Who says there is no place for her?" Severus found himself asking with a raised brow. "There are a few branches that are still open to her. I've been told she has quite a talent for Arithmancy, which is probably best compared to muggle mathematics, even though there are some major differences. But I could also offer her a potions apprenticeship if she would be interested. Even though some potions do require the addition of some spells, most of them do not. I am sure there would be a way to make a career as a Potioneer possible for her if that's what she wishes to do."  
Dan Granger nodded, a friendly smile on his lips. “This is for her to decide,” he said. “But one thing is clear. Hermione could not have found a better friend than you, Professor.”  
“Severus,” he corrected and offered the man his hand. Dan Granger took it with an appreciating nod.   
“Severus, then. You’re definitely miles better than those immature teenage boys, she’s been hanging around with before. She’s had so much grief because of those idiots.”  
Severus snorted. "Don't worry about them. Hermione is not the same girl she has been when they last saw her. She can hold her ground pretty well these days."  
Hermione’s father nodded proudly. “She has grown into a strong, young woman. I’d love to be a fly on the wall when those idiots try messing around with her again.”  
At that, Severus sent him an amused grin. “You know, this could surely be arranged somehow.”

Ssssssss


	17. Muggle science

Hermione hated sleeping alone, but the twins had assured her that it was for the best, at least until her parents had given their blessings for their relationship. She still wasn't of age in the wizarding world and in the Muggle world, it would take her even longer to be allowed to make her own decisions. And as Hermione did not want another source of conflict between her and her parents, she grudgingly bid the two of them goodnight with a chaste kiss and trudged into her own room. But even after one hour of lying in bed, she did not feel like she could fall asleep anytime soon, the jetlag and the encounter with her parents keeping her awake against her will.  
“Where are you?” suddenly asked a voice in her head and with dismay, she realized that it was not Severus talking to her. Ever since her friend had cast the Unforgivable Curse on her, the link to Voldemort seemed to have died down. But now it suddenly flamed up with unexpected intensity.  
Suddenly Hermione was wide awake, panic rising inside her. With every minute she could feel that horrible man more and more intensely, she felt his desperation, his longing for her and his determination to find out where she was. And suddenly she knew that he would try to use the bond to do so.

“Severus, help!” she thought and clutched her golden pendant, that she had not taken off tonight. She could only hope that her friend also wore his, but she could have sworn to have felt his presence through it earlier. And really, it was only a matter of seconds until the man directly apparated to her room and stared at her with an alarmed expression.  
"What's wrong?" he asked and looked around the room like he was expecting to find somebody lurking in the shadows. But of course, there was no one there.  
“He’s in my head,” she whispered, her voice shaking with fear. “He’s right there, talking to me, trying to find out where I am. I’ve never felt him this intensely before, it feels like he’s right there.”  
Severus kneeled down in front of her, his eyes studying her face with an intense expression. She could see that he was analysing the situation, trying to find a way out for her. But they both knew that the Link connecting her to that madman would always be there. “Alright, calm down,” he said and gently took her hand. “The more you panic the easier it gets for him. Strong feelings make it easy to access a mind, remember? Breathe.”  
Hermione nodded and took a deep breath, then another. Still, Voldemort’s question kept echoing through her head, growing more and more intense with every moment that passed. She clutched her head with a pained moan.   
“Calm down,” Severus instructed her with a deep voice. “He is not really here, I am. I won’t let him take you, he has no power over you, do you hear me?”  
“Yeah,” Hermione rasped out and slowly her heart rate started to slow down.  
“Good,” her friend said and a moment later she could feel his hands on her temples, carefully massaging them with light pressure. It did not really help her relax, but the feeling was enough to momentarily distract her from her panic. “Do you remember your Occlumency lessons?” Severus suddenly asked. “I taught you to build a place for your most sacred memories, a place that no one but you would find. Is it still there?”  
"It is. I would have been lost while being with him if I didn't know my secrets were safe," Hermione admitted solemnly.  
“Very good,” Severus praised her before he sought out her eyes. “I want you to go there, Hermione. Try to push your consciousness into that one hiding spot. Imagine it with everything you have and will yourself to hide behind these protections. Can you do that?”  
"I will try," Hermione promised and took a deep breath. Then she started building her old room before her inner eye, the desk, the microscope and finally the little box with the different microscopical samples. She took one from the middle and imagined herself to be part of the probe, hidden below the tiny coverslip that held it in place. Voldemort would never be able to find her here, she told herself and took a last deep breath. Then she willed herself to be part of the sample, be the sample herself and to her astonishment, it worked. Her mind was safe from that bastard, at least for now.

Ssssssss

One week of torture and Lord Voldemort was no closer to finding his queen than he had been right after her disappearance. Those fools from the Ministry were next to useless and even though he had luckily designed a number of portkeys before losing his magic so unexpectedly, leading this damned country was about the only thing he could do.   
He had the Aurors search every known, public magical place for her and he had stationed permanent posts on most of them now. But there were no sightings of his queen or those infamous twins and not even the promised bounty on their heads brought any usable results for him. It was beyond disappointing.   
Using his strange connection to Potter also wasn’t of much use, as the boy did not know where to find his lost friend and could not be persuaded to try writing to her or sending some of his friends from the Order to search for her. At least he now knew that Potter, too, suspected that she was with the Weasley twins and that was at least some sort of indication where these feelings came from, that seeped through the link with alarming regularity.   
It looked like those two pests had finally gotten lucky and found a way into his queen's knickers and she, unfortunately, seemed to enjoy herself. This would make persuading her to come back to him even more difficult, but he guessed he could always lock her away and kill them. With time she would hopefully forget her lovers and be open for something… better. He would find her and the only way left for him to do so seemed to be the link connecting them. He had never intended to intrude into his queen's privacy that way, but he guessed she was indirectly forcing him to do so. Luckily for him, the link between them would enable him to use Legillimency on her, even without casting the spell. She would have no chance resisting him for long, he was the world’s best Legillimens, after all. 

He started slowly by just sending her the question after her location. Immediately he could feel her panic, indicating that she had received it but was not willing to reply. Too bad she did not want to be found. He would still get his answer, if necessary through using force.   
The more he entered her mind, the more he finally felt connected to her, even though he could feel her panic growing. But panic was good, panic made things so much easier for him.  
Where are you? He asked over and over again and with a final bit of pressure, he suddenly found himself in her mind. Only that it did not look like he had expected it to, at all. He found himself in some kind of bedroom and going by the decor and the number of books he found on the shelf this was her bedroom. Interesting. He had been aware that his queen was able to raise some sort of Occlumency shields and knowing what he knew now he realized that Severus, the traitor, had probably taught her how to do this. It was of no importance though, as he had all the time in the world to find the answers he sought. He just had to go through all of her things and he imagined there were worse things than learning more about one's intended bride. 

Ssssssss

Severus stared at the girl in front of him with growing worry. Luckily Hermione had been able to do what he asked her to do and had hidden her consciousness away behind her strongest Occlumency shields. This had made her lose consciousness, as it was to be expected and it would not have been worrisome if this state hadn't already lasted for an hour. But Voldemort seemed determined to find her and her secrets and there was no saying how much longer he would attack Hermione's mind and how much longer she would be able to resist him. Fuck.  
Making a quick decision he sent his Patronus for the twins, telling them to send for Hermione's parents as well and then join him in Hermione's bedroom. Something had to be done and soon.

It was only a moment until the door opened behind him and the four of them dashed into the room. He hastily silenced their surroundings, as disturbing Hermione’s concentration would not have done any good in that messed up situation. Then he set himself to explain what had happened, their faces growing more and more worried with each of his words.   
"We need to do something!" Fred exclaimed and started pacing the room in agitation, while Dan stared grimly at his daughter and nodded.  
"It can not be healthy for her to remain unconscious for such a long period. Before long she will need food and water, which will force her to wake up. And by everything, I gathered this is the last thing we want."  
Severus sighed. “There are magical ways of tending to her bodily needs that I would implement with your permission. But even then her mind can only withstand such an attack for a certain amount of time and I am not sure how much longer she will be able to do it. Even I as an expert in Occlumency would have withstood such an attack for a day, at the most. And even then there might have been a certain amount of damage to the mind. We can not let it come to this.”  
“I’ll kill that bastard with my bare hands if I have to,” George growled, before he kneeled down at Hermione’s side. He did not speak and did not touch her, as to not break her concentration, but the look he sent her spook myriads.   
“This has to stop,” Emma Granger said and wrung her hands in worry. “My girl, my sweet, innocent girl…”  
“We will make him stop,” Fred promised her and put his hand on her shoulder. “I swear it. Georgie, I think a journey back home is in order. We’ll lure that bastard out. I guess being Undesirables nr. 1 does have its merits.”  
Snape looked at Hermione for a long moment. It pained him to leave her here, but he could not let those Gryffindors rush into danger alone, or they would get themselves killed. "I'll stabilize her and then I will come with you," he said and looked at Hermione's parents. "And with your permission, I would like to collect some of Hermione's hairs for a potion and take her wand with me. Don't worry, I will be careful with it and she will get it back when this is over. But I do have an idea of how to get Voldemort's attention."

Ssssssss

He had been through his queen’s mind with arduous concentration, rifling through every room, every book he could find. Sometimes he was rewarded with snippets of memories, mostly from her early childhood or from school, but no matter how thoroughly he searched, there was nothing of substance to be found. It was impossible. Somewhere there had to be something, something he had overlooked so far. But apart from some strange muggle devices in various rooms he unsuccessfully tried to use, there was nothing. He tried pushing the buttons on some of them and in the living room a big box flickered alive. Suddenly he could view memories from his queen's second Hogwarts year like through a pensive. It was kind of addicting to watch the tiny bushy-haired witch stumble through the school year, having her figure out that it was a basilisk petrifying all those worthless Mudbloods. But in the end, he must have been watching those memories for hours without getting any closer to figuring out, where his little, clever witch was hiding her secrets. It was maddening and intriguing him at the same time.

"Master!" he suddenly heard someone call him, probably a house-elf by the sound of the voice. He withdrew from his queen's mind with the feeling of annoyance. Whoever it was disturbing him, he'd make them pay if there wasn't a really good reason for them to do so.  
He opened his green eyes without making a single sound, seeing that annoying house-elf Hurry bouncing up and down in front of him. Ever since the creature had met his queen, he had changed and not for the better.  
“What is it?” Lord Voldemort asked the worthless creature in front of him.  
At that huge, excited eyes stared up at him. "They found her master. The mistress and those two redheads have been sighted at the ministry just a few minutes ago. Now Hurry's mistress will finally come home, will she not?"  
That immediately got his attention. Finally! It looked like his little invasion of her mind had finally driven her out of her hideout. Did she come to him to beg for forgiveness? Probably. Well, he would accept her back at his side and in his bed, after killing those redheaded playthings of hers.  
“You are coming with me,” he told the little beetle, sitting in the glass jar right in front of him. “It is your chance to be the witness of my ultimate victory and I need you to write a nice newspaper article after I am finally reunited with my queen.”  
With a grin, he freed the little insect from its glass and put it on his shoulder. From there Rita Skeeter would have a good view of everything that happened. The perfect conditions for a successful newspaper article on his and his lioness' reunion.

Ssssssss

  
Severus had never been very fond of Polyjuice and transforming his body into one of a 16-year-old teenage girl did not help to suddenly grow fond of it. Hermione was much smaller than him and the chance of perspective alone was annoying, to say the least.  
When he exited his bedroom only a few minutes after the decision of them returning to Britain was made, Fred and George Weasley stared at him with wide, nervous eyes. He had transfigured his clothes into a comfortable T-shirt and jeans that he had often seen wearing his friend and hoped that it would be good enough to fool an obsessive Voldemort.  
“This is even scarier than seeing you as Bellatrix Lestrange, Georgie,” Fred mumbled and grinned crookedly.  
"George Weasley nodded. "This will work," he assured Severus and offered him a small golden key. "Freddie and I made an international port key that will lead us to Diagon Alley. It's not really Ministry-approved, but I guess we no longer care about that, do we?"  
Severus grinned humourlessly. "We are about to attack the current Minister of Magic. If this fails, having created an illegal port key will be the least of our problems."

Sssssss

At around 9 a.m. the next day, right after the ministry opened for the day a bushy-haired teenage-witch and a pair of redheaded twins entered the Ministry of magic, or so it seemed. For about three seconds nobody took notice of them, before the elderly witch at the registration counter turned towards them, her mouth half-open in the attempt to ask about their names and their destination. The question died down on her lips though and she let out a pitiful squeak before she fainted right on the spot. Severus looked at her with his eyebrows raised in disbelief, rolling his now caramel brown eyes.  
“Looks like people are now even more scared of you,” Fred commented dryly and grinned.   
"Obviously," Severus replied, pocketing Hermione's wand again. He turned towards the elevators. He just wanted to start walking towards them, when some more people took notice of them and suddenly the room was filled with agitated murmurs, while several fingers pointed towards them.  
“Should have taken some of our products along,” Fred murmured towards his brother. “This would have been the perfect time and place for a little demonstration, don’t you think? Our fireworks could have gotten famous within the day.”  
George snorted. “Priorities Freddie,” he mumbled, just as the entry hall was filled with about ten Aurors, hastily running in their direction. George sighed. "And here they come," he mumbled and raised his wand. From the corner of his eye, he could see Severus and his brother doing the same. He could only hope that their plan would work out. Otherwise, this would get an interesting day, to put it mildly.


	18. What I want

“They’re here, they are at the ministry!” Mr Weasley shouted and rushed through the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. "I don't know what they're thinking, but we need to go now!"   
There were no words of disagreeing, just agitated murmur and the hasty shuffling of chairs. Harry and Ron leapt to their feet, only to be held back by a stern-looking Molly Weasley.  
“You are staying here, boys,” she said and stormed towards to floo. Sirius, Remus, Bill and Mr Weasley followed her with hasty steps. “Don’t worry; we will bring the boys and Hermione back. What did they think walking into the Ministry like they were trying to provoke a fight?"   
Harry never heard the answer, as the woman disappeared in the flames the next moment. He followed her with a wistful expression. He could only hope the others would not be too late, because once Voldemort was there, his friends would be in serious trouble. 

Sssssss

“Put your wands away, you are outnumbered,” an elderly, bald Auror instructed them with a stern voice. Yes, they were, Severus thought with an internal sigh, already starting to regret this Gryffindor-like approach. It would probably have been cleverer to go to Grimmauld place first and come here with some more people. On the other hand, Hermione was suffering and he felt like there wasn't any time to waste for them.   
“We are also your only chance to end this farce,” he replied evenly, looking at the group of Aurors with a proudly raised chin. He could only imagine how he looked now, that he had taken on Hermione's features. "Today we will do what you obviously could not. We will set things right again. There is still time for you to join us. Or have you already forgotten Minister Fudge and his Undersecretary? Because we have not.”  
Some of the Aurors looked at them with a hesitant expression, some looked guilty while others seemed more stoical and unimpressed by his words. Severus rolled his eyes. “You could also simply move aside or pretend to have not seen us,” he suggested, casually twirling Hermione’s wand between his fingers.   
"Or we use them as a warm-up," Fred suggested and grinned cheekily. Even though it was just an empty threat, it seemed to have made the necessary impression, as the first Aurors started to move aside, while two of them lowered their wands and moved towards them with a nod.   
"Arthur would never forgive us if we attacked one of his boys, let alone two" one of them mumbled and pointed his wand at his colleagues that were still opposing them. "Especially since I don't believe the two of you have done anything to earn this bounty on your head."  
Fred snorted. “No, we are more the detention-type of mischief makers,” he said with a shrug.  
"Well, we did find ourselves a girlfriend," George said, motioning towards what looked like Hermione. "One that is pretty much off-limits, as it appears."  
Fred nodded darkly.  
Severus kept his focus on the men in front of them and schooled his polyjuiced features into a bored expression. “And you? Have you chosen a side? There is not much time left for you to do so, I’m afraid. He will be here any minute.”  
At that, four of the Aurors started to move. The hastily pocketed their wands, cast them a last hesitant look, before they turned on the spot and left the Ministry through the floo. Severus followed them with his eyes and shook his head in disappointment. Cowards! But secretly relief flooded him. They would not have to duel a group of ten Aurors. It would have been possible with Hermione’s and probably also Voldemort’s magic running through his veins, but that would have given the game away too soon.  
The remaining Aurors looked at each other nervously, but before any of them could make a decision, the doors to the Atrium flew open and Voldemort, Bellatrix and Yaxley stepped inside. Could have been worse, Severus thought calculatingly, as his former master could have had more Death Eaters in tow. Two were fine - he could take down two of them if he had to.   
For a moment time seemed frozen in place, as the three groups of people looked at each other silently, without anyone moving a muscle. But finally, his former master looked at him with a wide, pleased smile and said: "I see you decided to come back to me, my queen. I knew you would come to your senses sooner or later."  
Severus looked at the man with an inclined head before he smiled. "I have never lost my senses, to begin with. But more importantly, I am not your queen. I told you I have no interest in canoodling with a man that could very well be my grandfather.”  
He could only hope that he had gotten Hermione’s tone just right, but he probably did as Fred who stood next to him could not suppress an amused snort. It was accompanied by several shocked gasps all around them. By now they were by far not the only ones in the Atrium, as several ministry employees had come to work already.  
“How dare you speak to the master like that!” Bella spat out, her wand pointed at what looked like Hermione. “You will regret that!”  
“Bella,” Voldemort said warningly and looked at her with a sharp expression before his eyes travelled back to what he believed was his queen. "I see your tongue is still as sharp as your wit, my Dear," he said and smiled. But you will not provoke me into lashing out at you. Your attempts to push me away will no longer work." He sent Severus a charismatic smile that made him shudder. Merlin, this man could not take no as an answer, could he?   
Before Severus could come up with a witty reply, Voldemort turned to the Aurors and said: “Bring her to me. And kill the other two. They have dared to abduct my queen and I will not allow them to touch her again.”  
The Aurors in front of them shuffled their feet nervously, but none of them lifted their wand. Severus registered it with a smile and a nod before he looked at his former master with a raised brow. "Looks like you will have to do this yourself," he said. "Your Aurors seem to not be interested in killing two innocent teenage boys.”  
Lord Voldemort growled at those words before he turned to Bella and Yaxley. “Bella, kill them,” he said with a demanding tone. “Yaxley, get my queen, but do not hurt her.”  
Well, here we go, Severus thought and a moment later he could see the first curses flow towards the redheads. They were luckily not Unforgivables, as they were in the middle of the Ministry here. And so the curses never reached their intended victims, as they were expertly blocked by the Aurors who had joined them. Yaxley only hesitated a moment longer, before he cast a full body-bind that was aimed towards him. He blocked it silently with a lazy flick of his wand before he cast a silent Expelliarmus towards his former Death Eater colleague. Yaxley clearly did not anticipate this, as his wand flew out of his hand a moment after. Idiot. Severus had him stunned a moment after and looked at his former master with a raised eyebrow. “Really?” he said with a disbelieving smile. “You are sending your minions for me now? How disappointing.”  
Voldemort stared at him for a long moment, his eyes wide in disbelief. “This is impossible,” he said.   
“What? Me disarming a man you send after me? That’s not impossible,” he said. “This idiot didn’t even try. Will you?”  
He could see the man clenching his fists, while his expression turned more and more thunderous. “Stop this in an instant,” he commanded. “Or you will come to regret this.”  
Severus grinned predatorily, before pointing his wand at the man's chest. Slowly he started to enjoy this. "Make me," he said and waited for a moment. "No? Well, then let me try." As Voldemort hadn't even raised his wand, Severus easily disarmed him and could not resist casting a Levicorpus on him, lifting the man into the air by the ankles to that he floated helplessly in front of him. Bellatrix let out a scream of rage, before she lurched towards him, her wand spitting one curse after the other. Severus blocked them all with a smile on his lips, as he could not even feel a drain on his magical energy. The witch didn’t stand a chance. He took her out with a simple stunner, that penetrated her shield like it was a soap-bubble, making her collapse on the floor right in front of her master. When he looked at Fred and George to check on them he saw that everyone at the Atrium was staring at him in disbelieving silence.   
“What?” he asked, unable to suppress the irritated undertone in his voice. “Does no one want to arrest them? Make yourself useful, you idiots!”  
Fred snorted and whispered: “That wasn’t very Hermione-like.”  
Severus shrugged. “I just took out a self-proclaimed Dark Lord and his band of useless followers. I think wizardkind will forgive her for some rude words, don’t you think?”

Ssssssss

“Hermione! Fred! George!" they heard their mum shout from behind and when Fred turned around, he could see her storm towards them with an agitated expression on her face. Their dad was there too, as well as some other people from the Order. He could see them staring at the captured enemies on the ground in disbelief. "What did you think running away like this?"   
Fred did not have time to answer, as the others caught up with them and stared at the inhibited Voldemort dangling in front of them like a worm on a fishing-rod. "How did you…" Remus said and stared at the three of them in confusion.   
George shrugged with a helpless smile. “This is a long story,” he said looking towards Snape, who was still under the influence of Polyjuice and looked like he would rather avoid being questioned by a horde of Order members. George felt pretty much the same. “And it is not our story to tell,” he explained calmly.  
Lupin looked at them with a confused expression on his face. “Then whose story is it?”  
George heard Severus sigh. “Don’t you want to lock those Death Eaters away first? I am sure you have enough to charge them with.” He stepped closer to his former master and looked down at him with a vengeful smile on his lips. “Don’t worry about him. He won’t be able to get out of whatever prison you let him rot away. He is pretty much a Squib these days.”  
A shocked gasp went through the room, but Severus had only eyes for his master. Voldemort looked at him with small eyes, before realization dawned in them. But whatever he wanted to say, Severus did not give him the chance to and silenced him non-verbally with a flick his wand. Then he stepped next to him and whispered into his ear: "I see you finally realized that I am not her. Hermione is safe and happy, as she should be. You'll never see her again, I will make sure of that.”

George saw Voldemort’s eyes go wide and he could not help but grin. He did not know what Snape told him, but he must not have liked what he heard. Good.  
He sighed. There was no saying when they would be able to go back to the real Hermione and see if she was alright. He could not wait to pull her into his arms and snog her senseless. But as it looked that wasn’t about to happen anytime soon. 

Ssssssss

When Hermione stepped through the door of Grimmauld place a week later, ten pairs of eyes looked at her full of excitement and hesitation. Severus’, Fred’s and George's little stunt at the Ministry had been followed by a glowing newspaper article, written by no other than Rita Skeeter, proclaiming her the saviour of the wizarding world and the vanquisher of the Dark Lord. Even though the man was far from dead, he was rotting away in a Ministry cell somewhere. Myriads of Aurors were questioning him under Veritasserum, eager to find out what really happened to their former Minister of Magic and several others that had gone missing over the weeks and months since the man's resurrection.   
“Hermione!” Ron exclaimed and before she knew what happened, her friend had pulled her in a bear hug. He had grown another few inches so that he was now probably the tallest and most lanky of the Weasley children. "I can't believe you did it and all by yourself. You beat You-Know-Who in a duel!"   
Hermione shook her head with a regretful smile. “No I didn’t,” she said. “You’ll have to thank Professor Snape for that." She turned around, knowing that her former Professor was still standing somewhere in the hallway, feeling uncomfortable because all of the attention that would now be directed towards him. But now the man had no choice but stepping into the room, his face was a mask of indifference. Oh Severus! It was long ago since she had seen this trademark expression on his face, which made her realize how different he was with her and also the twins these days.  
“Professor Snape!” Harry exclaimed and stepped closer to the man, pausing in front of him and looking at him with a disbelieving expression on his face. “We all thought you were dead!”  
“I am sorry to disappoint you, Potter. But I can assure you I am pretty much alive,” Severus said with a slight sneer. Hermione watched him with a fond smile on her lips.   
“Severus was the one duelling Voldemort and those Death Eaters at the Ministry," she explained calmly. "And from everything I heard, he did a brilliant job pretending to be me." She winked at her friend, stunning the room into silence for a minute.   
“Why are you suddenly calling him Severus?” Ron asked and looked at her with wide eyes. “Don’t tell me you…” He could not say it and so Hermione saw him helplessly gesturing through the air. She rolled her eyes.  
“We what, Ronald?” she asked sternly.   
The redhead looked at him with wide eyes. “Well, it almost sounds like you are friends,” he said making it sound like this was totally ridiculous. It was enough to make Hermione lose her temper.   
"We are," she said matter of factly. "And I'm glad. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him. So don't you dare look down at this friendship, Ronald. Professor Snape saved me, saved all of you in fact and he does deserve your respect for that.”   
“Wo-ho, Hermione. Alright, calm down,” Ron said, raising his hands in defeat. “I was just surprised, that’s all.”  
Through the pendants, Hermione could feel Severus‘ amusement. It was, what helped her not to lash out at Ron again. "You will get used to it," she said instead "as well as to the fact, that I am dating your brothers. But I guess this part isn't that much of a surprise any longer." She looked towards the twins, who grinned at her sheepishly.   
Ron snorted .”Not really, no. They wouldn’t stop talking about you, until mum finally allowed them to go back to Australia to see you. They said you’ve been sick or something.”  
Hermione sighed. She couldn't help but feel nervous at the prospect of telling her whole story, but if someone deserved the truth, it was the people in the room. Next to her parents, Severus and the twins, they were what she called her family. And so she took a deep breath and asked them to sit down at the kitchen table, before telling them everything. She left out the part of Severus cursing her with an Unforgivable and instead only said vaguely, that she had given up her magic by choice in order to bring Voldemort down. Everything else she told them with as much detail as she was comfortable with, reassured by the twin’s and Severus’ steady presence at her side.   
When she was finished, the room was silent, at first. She could feel their eyes on her though, but she could tell that none of them really knew what to say. Well, except Ron.  
“Does that mean you’re not coming back to Hogwarts?” he asked, looking at her in disbelief.  
Hermione nodded. “I don’t have my magic any longer, Ron and I don’t expect to get it back anytime soon. So no, I am not going back. I’m sorry.”  
For a moment her friend seemed speechless, but finally, he said: "Merlin Mione. What are you going to do then? Filch was lucky that Dumbledore accepted him as caretaker of the school. But there aren’t many jobs for squibs, are there?” He looked at the others questioningly, but when he saw the warning looks on their faces he paused and said: “What? Why are you looking at me like that? It’s true! A wizard is nothing without his magic!”  
Hermione looked at him for a long moment, before she said as calmly as possible. "Luckily for you, I am not a wizard, Ron and I am surely not nothing. I've lived without magic for the better part of my life and I've been just fine. Thank you very much."  
Remus interrupted them by clearing his throat. “So let me get this straight. As long as you have your magic blocked, Voldemort has no magical power, because he is linked to you.”  
Hermione nodded and her former professor continued: “But what happens if you decide you want it back? Because you can get it back, right?”  
“I can, but I will abstain from it as long as it takes us to find another way to get rid of him. If there is even a way,” she answered with a sigh.  
Remus nodded understandingly. “This is very brave, Hermione and I want you to know, that I really appreciate what you did for us. All of you.”  
With that, he looked at Severus, before he got up and offered the man his hand. "Thank you for doing what none of us could," he told him calmly and smiled. "Can you forgive me for being a spineless idiot?"  
For a moment Hermione felt hesitation and doubt through her link with her friend, but it was soon substituted by determination "There is nothing to forgive Lupin. Those things are long in the past. I am no longer who I was back then and I guess you aren’t either.”  
Remus nodded and when Severus took his hand a moment later, he smiled. But before he could reply, Sirius appeared at his side and looked at his childhood nemesis with grey eyes. “No one can live through that much shit and stay the same. Is it true you took out my crazy cousin? Well done.”  
Severus nodded and looked at him with the hint of a smile. They did not shake hands, but Hermione realized that this was still a new beginning, not only for her but for all of them. She could not wait to see what this new future had in store for them. Hermione felt like she could face anything now and while her eyes watched the people around her talking and reuniting, she started making her own plans. Because she had meant it when she told Severus that she could do just about anything.


	19. Epilogue

"And that's really what happened, Uncle Sev?" the little curly-haired girl asked him with wide eyes. "Because that would mean that you're a real hero!”  
Severus looked at the five-year-old whirlwind with a fond smile. Somehow, with time, he had still gotten a family, including enough children to never feel a moment of boredom in his life. Not that the last years had been boring for him. To his surprise, he enjoyed doting on Hermione's little ones as all of them were surprisingly well-behaved and interested in anything he had to say. Spending time with them was much different than teaching at school, probably because none of them was scared of his sometimes broody expression. For some strange reason, those three little children adored him and he used the chance to shamelessly spoil them whenever they came to visit him. He gave them everything he had always missed as a child, attention, affection and a considerable amount of his time that he usually spent with reading to them or teaching them whatever they desired to know.  
“This story was full of heroes, Carliene and your mummy is one of them,” he said.   
The girl chuckled. “I know that,” she said, pulling a face. Uncle Ron and Uncle Harry don’t let me hear the end of it. It’s like the only thing they talk about when they come visiting. It’s really boring. Do you think I’ll also have such exciting adventures when I’m finally allowed to go to Hogwarts?”  
Severus rolled his eyes. “Heaven forbid. But if you are anything like your daddies, there will be lots of excitement waiting for you. I swear they almost drove some of the teachers into early retirement.”  
Little Carliene nodded excitedly. "Uncle Sev? What happened to Voldemort? Did they lock him away in Azkaban? Or is he dead?" The little girl wrinkled her forehead. "No, he can't be. Otherwise, mummy would have gotten her magic back, right?"  
He nodded with a sigh. Over the years he had gotten used to Hermione's magic and he had no longer qualms about using it for the right things. After Hermione had finished her potion apprenticeship with him, the two of them had come off with a great many spells and potions, because even though Hermione could not cast any spells herself, her knack for arithmancy was of great importance when they developed new things. Their newest project was finding a cure for Cruciatus-induced damage and finally, it appeared like they were only one step away from finishing the necessary potion.

It wasn’t long until the bushy-haired Gryffindor had made a name of her own and no one cared if she was a squib or a witch. Hermione had been right: she could do anything - and she had. Writing a book had only been the first step on her way and it had made her a rich woman because of course everybody wanted to read the true story about Voldemort's rise, his youth and also his downfall. While the twins eagerly opened their eye-cancer inducing joke shop in the middle of Diagon Alley, Hermione had really outdone herself with that book. She had managed to put everything on paper the world wanted and needed to know, without saying too much or endangering his secrets. Severus Snape was a war hero these days and no one said any different. It was a small miracle. 

Severus looked at the girl, sitting in front of him on the floor and smiled. "No one is calling him Lord Voldemort these days," he said with a grin. "That would imply this man still held any form of power, which he does not. "No, he is not in prison. They did consider Azkaban for him, but as he and your mum are magically linked, that was not an option. No one wanted the saviour of the wizarding world to suffer the effects of dementors through the bond. After a while, the MInistry decided that a life without magic, money, servants or followers was enough of a punishment for the man and even though there was a hefty protest from some parties, time has shown that they were right."

Carliene looked at him with wide eyes. “So he’s still alive? Where is he?” 

Severus smiled. "Going by Rita Skeeter's last newspaper article he is living in his mother's house these days. Some years ago this place wasn't more than a shed and it's not much better now. As far as I know, Bellatrix Lestrange lives with him, as she refused to leave her master's side, even though he lost everything that earned him this title once. Draco and his father were very thorough to strip him of anything valuable and important."

“You mean the new Minister?” the little girl asked with a concentrated expression. That little curly redhead had her mother’s intellect, making connections and assumptions right and left. He had no doubts that she would follow in her mother’s footsteps, without being overly compliant, like Hermione had been. Growing up as a daughter of the infamous Weasley twins the girl had established a good sense of humour and a tolerance to mischief.   
“Exactly. Back then Draco hadn't been Minister though, but he and his father had a special interest in bringing Tom Riddle down. One could almost call them vindictive.”  
And Draco wasn't the only vindictive one. Rita Skeeter had developed an obsession with her former capturer. It had not taken her long to air every one of the man's dark little secrets, dissembling his name and reputation bit by bit. Severus still did not like the disagreeable woman and refused to exchange a word with her, but he could not deny that she had been useful in his former master's downfall. No one feared him any longer, which was probably the greatest punishment for him, apart from losing his magic.  
“Is it true that the Minister and my mum have been enemies at school? Uncle Ron once said something like that, but I don’t believe him. Mummy is working for the Minister, after all,” the little girl said and wrinkled her nose. 

Uncle Ron should start to learn to mind his own business, Severus thought. He should concentrate on his Quidditch career or on shagging his ever-changing girlfriends. This way he at least doesn’t annoy the people around him. But to his little goddaughter he said: “Draco and your mum haven’t always been the best of friends, I believe. But once they got to know each other, they came to appreciate having an intelligent conversation partner.”  
Carliene chuckled. He was sure she could relate to that problem, as she preferred spending time with him instead of playing with her hordes of cousins. He did not mind, as he found her presence equally enjoyable as Hermione's, who came to visit him every other day and still wore her pendant most of the time. This way she was never far and usually they exchanged thoughts about their different project back and forth every single day. Hermione was always only a thought away for him.  
She was a busy woman these days, her current position as the minister's undersecretary not helping in the least. It had been a brilliant move from Draco's side. Not only that Hermione was probably the most effective person he could have found for the job, she also was also a war hero and built a bridge to some parts of the wizarding world that so far had felt excluded by the government. Hermione wasn't only a muggle-born witch and a Squib, she also had a passion for magical beings and fought passionately for their rights. Draco interestingly supported her and Severus could see that he did not only do it out of calculation. Over the years he had seen the boy change and grow into a thoughtful and well-behaved man. And even though his godson was still a Slytherin at heart, he had not become a second Albus Dumbledore. Severus had made sure of that.

For a while, the little girl did not say anything more and buried her nose in the book he had given her to read from his library. But after a while, she looked up at him with a contemplative expression. "Do you think Voldemort still tries to find and capture my mum? He is still linked with her and could undo all his problems by getting her, right? What if he tries to come to power again? I don't like that he's still out there, somewhere."

“There is no reason to be afraid of him any longer,” he said soothingly. “He is barely even sane any longer and the woman living with him now, is barely more than a house-elf for him.”  
It was true. Without Bellatrix, the man would probably have starved to death - well, or as close as he could ever come to death. A few years ago Tom Riddle had pleaded with the ministry to execute him through the veil, as he said he could no longer stand this pitiful existence. It was shortly after a gigantic snake had been found dead close to his home, implying that the former Dark Lord had really started to get rid of his Horcruxes in the attempt to end his life. Unfortunately for him, there was one Horcrux left he did not know about. Therefore the attempt to kill him by sending him through the veil ended with the man simply stepping through, much to the astonishment of the audience. Just then Lord Voldemort realized that he was damned to a life without magic and from there on his sanity had started to disintegrate into madness. If Rita Skeeter was to be believed, he only talked to snakes these days, completely ignoring the dark-haired Black-sister that had sworn to serve him, until she took her last breath. It was the best punishment he could imagine for Bellatrix, craving her master's attention day by day but never getting even a word of thanks from him.  
“Those two are not a danger any longer, you can be sure of that. They don’t even leave that shithole of a house any longer,” he said, before remembering to not use such foul language with a five-your old. Carliene giggled. “Don’t tell your mum I said that,” he hastily added.   
"I might be persuaded not to," the cheeky little thing replied, looking at him with a wide Weasley-grin. "How about we go to your lab and you show me how to brew a tickling potion? Or could we make some itching powder?"  
He looked at her with a raised brow. “What do you need that for? Did Adam tease you about your unwillingness to play Quidditch with him, again?”  
“He might,” the redhead admitted with a carefully neutral expression, that reminded him of himself. Merlin, when had she started to pick that up?  
Severus looked at her with a sigh. "Alright, I'll show you how to do it," he finally said with a fond smile on his lips. There was no doubt that his little god-daughter was going to be a Slytherin, one day. And she had already wrapped him around her little finger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys. This is the end of this story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Several words regarding that ending: it was a deliberate decision to not give Hermione her magic back. I wanted her "mistake" to have consequences. It often appears to me, that in many stories every mistake can somehow be undone. But that's not real life. We all know, that we often wish to take something back or turn back time, but can not. So I decided to let that show in my story, too.
> 
> At some point, I might add a few outtakes to the story. I am not sure if I do this, but I have some scenes in mind that I deliberately chose to not write, as they did not really contribute to the story. Would you enjoy reading that?
> 
> Thank you to everyone taking the time to read and comment. Your support means the world to me!


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